Whispers in the Dark
by Kay Isles
Summary: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?
1. Prologue

This is my first FanFic. Leave comments to let me know what you think, and if I should continue! I love all feed-back so don't be afraid to leave a comment! Thanks!

Sweet Jorja Beta this for me, but all mistakes are mine!

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Prologue**

Coming back from his case, Gil Grissom walked into the brightly lit crime lab. It was just after three in the morning, and he could feel the strain of his case. A fourteen-year-old girl committed suicide due to being bullied over the years at school. Grissom hated cases like these, and just wanted to go hide in his office.

Walking up to the receptionist Judy's desk, Grissom spoke softly, "Hello Judy. Any messages for me?"

"Hello Dr. Grissom, just these few." She handed over the pink memo slips.

"Thank -"

She interrupted him, "Do you know where Sara is?" She seemed very hesitant to ask.

"She's at a scene with Nick in Boulder City." He paused as he looked at Judy cautiously. "She probably won't be back for at least a few hours. Why?"

She thought for a second, "Um… A woman about in her fifties maybe, came in asking if Sara worked here. Before I could answer her, she said it was very important that Sara get this as soon as possible." She held up the envelope that had just "Sara Sidle" written on the front. "I have to leave early tonight..."

Before Judy could finish, "Hm, I'll give it to her when I next see her."

"Alright, thanks."

As Grissom took the envelope, he asked, "Did the woman say who she was?"

"No, she just said Sara needed to get this ASAP, and then quickly left. I asked the woman again who she was, but she wouldn't -"

Grissom cut her off, "Don't worry Judy, I'm sure Sara will find out when she opens it."

With a puzzled expression he headed for his office.

An hour later, he was just finishing up his paperwork when his phone rang.

Without looking at the screen, he answered, "Grissom."

Brass drew in a deep breath before he spoke, "Gil." There was a long pause. He drew in another deep breath, "There's been an accident."

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><p>So what do you think? Should I continue? Feedback is always nice! I do have the first chapter written. Will post after I get some reviews.<p>

Kay


	2. Ch 1: The Accident

Since I have so many requests to post the next chapter, I decided to post it tonight instead of waiting till tomorrow. Again, I LOVE feed-back, whether it's good or bad, so don't be afraid to leave a response of what you think!

Sweet Jorja beta this chapter as well, but again, all mistakes are mine!

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter One: The Accident**

_One hour previous_

"Hey Nick. I'll be there in a few."

"Okay Sar." After a moment's pause, "Get lost or something?" Nick laughed.

Sara smiled, "Yeah. Took a wrong turn. It's been awhile since I've been out this way."

Boulder City, Nevada was a good thirty minutes from Las Vegas, but because of the wrong turn, it's been almost an hour drive for Sara. For miles, all she saw was desert. She was so relieved when she started to see houses and buildings.

Sara turned her attention back to what Nick was saying, "-s just out here last week for a robbery. Now we're out here for a robbery gone bad. It's crazy!"

"Nick… People are crazy." There was a pause, "Oh thank God. I'm here… Finally!"

Nick looked up, and saw Sara at the stop sign. He waved to her as he hung up. She waved back. Nick turned to ask the officer a question. All of the sudden there was a loud screech and a crash. Sara turned her head just as a pick-up truck slammed into the driver's side of the Tahoe. The truck plowed the Tahoe right into a telephone pole, wrapping the Tahoe around the pole.

As this happened, Nick and the officers turned around, witnessing the horrifying ordeal.

Nick screamed, "Sara!"

Brass, David (the assistant coroner), and the other officers on the scene ran out of the house to see what happened. Brass couldn't believe his eyes.

Nick started to run towards the accident. "Sara! Sara answer me!" He heard a groan, but couldn't tell if it was from the truck driver or from Sara. A few tears slide down his cheeks. He mumbled, "_Oh my God. Oh my God."_

Brass called for an ambulance as he ran towards Nick, "This is Detective Jim Brass, LVPD. There's been a serious car accident. I think only two were injured. One is in critical condition. Need paramedics IMMEDIATELY! CSI Sara Sidle was in the crash! I repeat, CSI Sara Sidle was in the crash!" He quickly gave the address, and closed his phone.

David was quickly behind Brass. He checked the truck driver. He was unconscious, and had a huge gash on his face. Probably some broken ribs as well, from the impact of the air bag. David checked his pulse, "He has a pulse, but I don't want to move him till the paramedics arrive!"

"Sara! Come on Sara!" Nick screamed.

David walked around the accident to see if he could reach Sara, "I have no way of getting to her! Not until the truck is moved." David tried to keep his voice steady.

The Tahoe was wrapped around the pole like a donut. The pick-up truck was crushed into the driver's side door. There was absolutely no way to get access to Sara until the fire department moved the truck. Only God knows if Sara was still alive or not.

"Sara, can you hear me?" Nick kept trying to get a response from her. He looked at Brass, "She isn't moving. Oh God. Brass… what should we do?" There was so much fear in Nick's voice.

There was a lump in Brass's throat. He had to stay calm, not only for his and Nick's sake, but for everyone else's as well.

They could hear sirens in the far distance. The fire trucks and ambulances wouldn't be long now.

"Nick, we have to stay calm. The ambulance is almost here." Brass tried to stay strong, but his voice was shaky and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"What if she's…" Nick whispered.

"She's not! Don't say that… She'll survive." Brass said. Then he thought, "_She's a survivor. She can't die."_

Everyone stood there waiting. That's all they could do. They were helpless. What took ten minutes for the fire fighters and EMTs to get there, felt like a life time.

As the ambulances and fire trucks got closer, the guy in the pick-up truck started to groan and move. He pushed up off of the steering wheel, and reached for the door handle. Brass unconsciously moved his hand to rest on his holster.

"Keep your hands up and slowly get out of the vehicle!" Brass told him.

The ambulances and fire trucks reached the scene. The guy in the pick-up truck touched his gash and winced. He opened the door, and slowly moved out of the truck. He then stumbled down to the ground. David ran over to him, and felt for a pulse, "His pulse is getting weaker!"

The EMTs quickly ran over to him. They checked all his vitals, hooked him up to an IV, and put him on the gurney. "We're bringing him to the Boulder City Hospital." One of the EMTs said.

Brass sighed. Someone has to go with him. "Nick…"

"Brass no. I can't leave Sara!"

"I know Nick, but someone has to go with him. Get his statement when he's ready. Find out what happened. Please." Sorrow was in his voice.

"Fine." Nick stormed away. He put his sirens on when he got into his Tahoe, and started to follow the ambulance to the hospital. He looked in his rear view mirror, tears sliding down his face as he saw the fire fighters working on moving the pick-up truck away from Sara. "Oh God Sara, please be alright." He whispered.

Brass watched the fire fighters work hard on getting the pick-up truck pulled away from Sara's Tahoe. He sighed, and pulled out his cell phone. He really didn't want to make this call, but he had to.

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><p>Hope you enjoy! I know, again with the suspense and leaving it in a place where people will yell at me, but I'm prepared. Don't forget to leave a response!<p>

Kay


	3. Ch 2: The Call

Thanks so much to the terrific reviews everyone! All of the words of encouragement keeps pushing me to write more of this story!

For those who I told that I wasn't sure when this chapter would be up, I'm happy to say it didn't take me nearly as long as I thought it would. I had nothing to do today, so I sat down to think of how to write this chapter. Grissom and Brass pretty much wrote this whole chapter. It went in a direction that I wasn't thinking it would go, but the story had a mind of it's own, and I'm quite pleased with it.

MyKate beta this for me, but like the other chapters, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Two: The Call**

An hour later, Grissom was just finishing up his paperwork for the suicide case when his phone rang.

Without looking at the screen, he answered, "Grissom."

Brass drew a deep breath before he spoke, "Gil." There was a long pause. He drew in another deep breath, "There's been an accident."

"An accident?" Grissom gulped, "What do you mean an accident?" Remembering that Sara and Nick were at a crime scene with Brass tonight, his stomach tightened.

Brass stayed silent. He was struggling to not let the tears fall as he watched the fire fighters work on hooking up the pick-up truck to the wheel lift of the tow truck that had just shown up at the scene.

"Jim! What do you mean there's been an accident?" Grissom demanded.

"Sara…" Brass said it just above a whisper, but Grissom heard her name loud and clear. His whole body stiffened, and his phone slipped from his grasp onto his desk.

"No. No. No." Was all Grissom could say. After a couple minutes of silence, he realized he dropped his phone. He picked it back up, and choked out, "What happened?"

Trying to collect his thoughts, Brass released the breath he was holding, "She was just showing up at the scene." Brass stopped and let out a quiet sob. Continuing, "As… As she was turning onto the street… A pick-up truck…" Another sob was released. "He came out of nowhere. He didn't even try to hit the brakes…"

"Oh God." Grissom gasped.

"He plowed into her door." Brass went dead silent. The tears were now raining down his cheeks. The pick-up was now fully pulled away from Sara's Tahoe. Her door was completely smashed along with part of the back door. The Tahoe curled around the pole. Brass could see Sara's form slumped over the middle console. Her left arm looked like it was pinned between her lap, and the steering wheel. Brass realized Grissom was yelling. "What?" He choked out.

"Is she…" Grissom didn't dare to finish his question.

"I… I don't…" Brass couldn't finish.

"Jim?"

Silence.

He tried again, "Jim?"

Brass still didn't say any more to Grissom.

A little harsher than intended, "Jim!"

Finally, "They're still working on getting her out of the car. Oh God Gil. It's… It's not a good sight!" Brass stumbled over his words.

"Where are they taking her when they get her out of the car?" His voice was unnaturally steady.

"Boulder City."

Grissom hung up. "_No. No. Sara!" _Was all that went through his mind as he stared at the team's group photo that sat on his desk.

_Ten minutes later._

After calling Ecklie, and the Under Sherriff to let them know what happened, Grissom was running out the lab. As he passed Judy's desk he yelled to her to hold all of his team's and his calls. He slid into his Tahoe. He looked down at his hands. He was tightly gripping the envelope addressed to Sara.

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><p>I hope you all enjoy! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. So, it'll probably be posted tomorrow, or extremely late tonight depending. But don't hold me to that as I don't know what my plans are for tomorrow right now.<p>

I would like to give a great thanks to my Beta, MyKate, for it was her words of encouragement for this chapter that has me posting it today. I wasn't quite sure if I 100% happy with the chapter, something was really bugging me that I couldn't put my finger on. But MyKate told me that it was perfect, and said, "So, don't you dare touch a word of this chapter" so I followed her advice (and this was after she called me a rat and that I couldn't stop there, lol). Truly Kathy, you made my day with that!

Kay


	4. Ch 3: The Rescue

I finally finished; I did quite a bit of research. I must say that I'm not quite sure I like this chapter. I don't know, but I hope it pleases all. If not, I'm really sorry.

MyKate beta this chapter for me. She's a God send and really helped me a lot.

But as always, all mistakes are mine, and no one elses.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Three: The Rescue**

With the EMTs waiting next to him, Brass stared in horror as the fire fighters placed the spreader-cutters into the seam of the Tahoe's door. As soon as one of the fire fighters turned on the hydraulic pump, a loud buzzing filled up the silence of the night. The seam of the door spread, and the now open blades were repositioned around the metal. The cutters then closed and started cutting through the metal. The fire fighters continued to do this until there was a gap wide enough to get full access to Sara's limp body. The fire fighters moved away slightly to move the spreader-cutters, and the hydraulic pump out of the way. Tears poured down Brass' face, and a sob caught in his throat when he saw Sara.

The EMTs moved quickly over to the Tahoe to assist the fire fighters on getting Sara out. They pulled large pieces of broken glass off of her, and then quickly worked on pulling the steering wheel up off of her arm and lap. An EMT swiftly, but gently, pulled Sara into his arms, out of the car, and onto a gurney. All the EMTs worked fast to hook up an IV line to her right arm, and attached the portable heart beat monitor to her right middle finger.

"Her pulse is extremely wea -" The flat line beep interrupted the EMT, and screech loudly through the commotion of the workers.

"Sara!" Brass screamed as the EMTs quickly moved her to the ground away from the gurney and started performing CPR.

One of the EMTs ripped opened her shirt while yelling, "Hurry! Give me the AED!" He hurriedly placed the AED pads on her chest, one slightly above her sports bra on the right, and the other just under her bra and to the left of her rib cage. The AED screen read "_shock is advised"_ so he pushed the button to shock her. The machine shocked her once and prompt him to immediately perform CPR for two minutes. Her heart started to beat again, and the EMTs immediately put her back on the gurney and rushed her to the ambulance.

"I'm coming too!" Brass said as he ran over to the ambulance. His eyes were red and slightly puffy.

While the fire fighters worked on getting Sara out of the Tahoe, Nick sat in the waiting room of the ER. The guy from the pick-up truck was rushed into a back room as soon as he was brought in.

~~~~GSR~~~~

Nick was worried for his best friend. He hoped to God that she was all right. He slumped into a chair as his mind drifted to when Sara first moved to Vegas.

**Flashback**

_**Sara was looking at something in the door jam when Nick walked in. Sara turned to look at him.**_

"_**You're standing in my crime scene."**_

"_**No." Nick held up the audio CD. "You're in mine."**_

_**As he walked away, she said, "You're doing audio? I wanted that."**_

"_**I out rank you."  
>She turned to look at him, "Technicality. Who'd Grissom hand pick to work here?"<br>Nick turned and laughed, "You keep telling yourself that."**_

Nick smirked at the memory. He missed their friendly banters. A lot has changed in the past five years. She was a lot quieter and not as social any more. Besides mentoring Greg, she seemed to cut herself off from everyone. He wished they still were on the same shift. Since him, Warrick, and Catherine were moved to swing shift, he barely got to see Sara. Tonight was the first time in months that they would have gotten to work together. He had been so excited. But now, he was sitting in an ER waiting room frustrated, worried, and extremely pissed off.

He thought to himself, "_I'm going to nail that asshole so hard that he won't know what hit him! If I could, I'd kill him myself!" _He had gotten up to pace the ER as he kept thinking of harsh thoughts about the truck driver. He realized he was breathing hard, and his knuckles were turning white from his fists being closed so tightly. He tried to calm himself down. He let his mind drift again to simpler times.

**Flashback**

_**Talking about a birthday party for Catherine's daughter, Lindsay, Nick said as he held up his present, "Yeah, but I got her a chem set."**_

_**Sara looked at him, "You keep that, you might learn something."  
>Without a thought Nick responded, "Stop flirting with me."<strong>_

A small smile crossed his face.

"_**Fine suit."**_

_**Warrick and Nick turned around to find Sara entering the locker room.**_

_**She looked at Nick with a smirk, "And well, just fine."**_

_**Nick laughed as he spoke, "That's harassment." He quickly grabbed his shirt and began putting it on.**_

_**Sara continued to smirk, "Hey, we have one locker room and it's my job to be observant."**_

"Sir?" A nurse pulled Nick out of his thoughts. He stopped pacing as he looked down at his watch, "_Thirty minutes have passed?"_

As he looked at the nurse he whispered, "Yes?"

"Dr. O'Keefe will be out shortly to talk to you about Mr. Jonathon Helmington."

"Thanks."

At that moment Greg came running in with big red eyes and speaking really fast, "How is she? Is she still alive? How bad was the accident? I had the guy from days that I was working with finish our interrogation when I heard what happened! What has the doctor -"

Cutting him off Nick yelled, "Greg!" He ran a hand over his face. "Calm down! I only understood about half of what you said!" Nick was getting very irritated now.

Greg opened his mouth, but stopped. Then stumbled, "I… I just want to know… How is she?"

Nick sighed. "I don't know. She hasn't arrived here yet." He spoke just above a whisper.

"Oh." Deflated, Greg fell into a chair.

"Mr. Stokes?" Dr. O'Keefe spoke as he walked into the waiting room.

Nick turned around to face the doctor.

"Mr. Helmington will be released shortly. Besides being banged up, he'll be all right. He has two fracture ribs, a broken nose, and his left wrist is also broken from the impact of the air bag. It took twelve stitches on the gash on the left side of his face -"

"But otherwise fine? I can question him?" Nick asked impatiently.

"Ye… Yes. Go easy on him right now -"

Nick tried to interrupt, "Bu -"

The Doctor continued, "Mr. Stokes, he's in pain. He passed out at the accident because he was in shock and high on something. We took urine and blood samples and sent them to your lab. He says he doesn't remember what happened."

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><p>Thanks for reading. Please don't forget to review, whether you're pleased with this or not. I love all reviews. How else am I going to become better? lol<p>

Side note: I did research on the Jaws of Life and the AED (Automated External Defibrillator). I'm OCD and a huge perfectionist, so I had to make sure that all my facts were correct in the story. The new AED usually just uses one shock now (At the higher voltage), but it will shock the person two more times if need be.

Kay


	5. Ch 4: Just Believe

So I went to post this yesterday, but FanFic decided that it didn't want to post it - it wouldn't even upload it for me. And since I've last posted, I've been extremely busy. So I'm sorry that this is later than I had planned. But I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! I did! My brother's and I got my mom another charm for her charm bracelet, she was surprised, but absolutely loved it! We also had made my brother his favorite pie - rhubarb - since his birthday is on Thursday. His wife laughed 'cause my brother and his oldest daughter had been craving rhubarb pie and almost bought one for Mother's Day. My mom laughed and said, "Well, now you have TWO! And they're completely homemade!" It was great! On another random note, what did everyone think of Thursday's CSI? I loved it and CANNOT wait till this Thursday's season finale! It looks so good, and has me oh so impatient. I personally like Conrad's daughter, Morgan, and think it would be fun if they added her to the CSI cast, but that's just me :)

Thanks for all the fabulous reviews! You all are great!

TessTureHeart: I must say, your reviews always put smiles on my face and gives me such great encouragement to keep this story going. So I really hope you enjoy this chapter :)

My Kate Beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine!

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Four: Just Believe**

"He says he doesn't remember what happened." Dr. O'Keefe gave Nick an apologetic look and walked away.

"That's bullshit!" Nick yelled as he kicked the trash can. The nurses and the two other people in the waiting room stared at him.

"Nick –" Greg tried.

"He has to remember. How can he crash into another car, slam it into a telephone pole, and NOT remember!" Nick started to pace again.

Greg watched him with concerned eyes, then dared to speak, "The Doctor did say he was high –"

"I don't care! He… he…" Nick stopped and looked towards the ER doors as they opened.

An EMT yelled, "She's stopped breathing again!" Another EMT was straddling Sara as he performed CPR. Four ER doctors ran over to assist and quickly brought her back to an OR.

Nick collapsed to the floor, and for the first time he really broke down. Greg sat in his seat frozen. He couldn't believe what he saw. Sara looked so fragile as she lay limp on the gurney. Dry blood covered her face, hands, and clothes. Her jeans were torn in multiple places, and her shirt had been ripped open. Her face, arms, and hands were covered in scratches… "_And broken glass."_ He thought.

Brass ran into the ER. He was out of breath, and his eyes were large and dark. He stared at the double doors that Sara had just gone through. "_Please don't die, kiddo,"_ was all he thought when he collapsed into a chair next to Greg.

~~~~GSR~~~~

Grissom sat in his car staring at the envelope in his hands. He kept flipping it as if the envelope would answer his silent questions. "_Who is this from? Why wouldn't she tell Judy who she was? Why does she need Sara to get this ASAP?" _ He then mumbled, "Oh, God. Sara!" He dropped his head down onto the steering wheel. "Please be all right. I can't lose you."

**Flashback**

_**Grissom spoke to the crowd after the dummies were thrown off of the roof. "Yes. Yes." He took a photo of the first dummy. "Norman pushed." He took a photo of the second dummy. "Norman jumped." Then he took a photo of the third dummy. "Norman fell."**_

"_**Wouldn't you if you were married to Mrs. Roper?" Sara smiled.**_

"_**I don't even have to turn around. Sara Sidle." Grissom smiled as he spoke and turned around.**_

_**Sara smiled wider. "It's me. Still tossing simulation dummies? There are other ways to tell, you know?"**_

"_**How? Computer simulation?" He shrugged. "No, thanks. I'm a scientist. I like to see it. Newton dropped the apple. I drop dummies."**_

"_**You're old school."**_

"_**Exactly. And this guy was pushed."**_

Grissom sighed. "So much has changed in the last five years." He whispered. He lifted his head off of the steering wheel, and put Sara's envelope on the seat next to him. He started the car, and music filled the silence.

_Thirty minutes later._

As Grissom pulled into a parking space in front of the ER, he caught the words to the song that was playing.

_Your childhood eyes were so intense_

He thought of the photo of Sara when she was about five sitting on her bookshelf. Her eyes were dark, but showed only a hint of glimmer as she played in the sand at the beach. Her eyes showed little hope as she had already been through so much in her short life.

_While bartering your innocence_

_For bits of string_

_The grown-up wings you needed_

_But when you had to add them up_

_You found that they were not enough_

_To get you in_

_And pay for sins_

_Repeated_

_And for all the years you borrowed_

_And for all the tears you hide_

_And for all the fears you had to keep inside_

"_So many fears. So many tears. No one knows about her childhood. She keeps all of that locked in. Just like my fears."_ Grissom thought.

_I hear your hopes_

_I feel your dreams_

_And in the dark I hear your screams_

"She's always hearing the screams of the victims." He thought back to when Sara once asked,

"_**What if… you can hear the victim's screams? In the car or at the store?"**_

"_**You have empathy for her, Sara. You want someone to pay for what was done to her. That's normal."**_

"_**Do you want to sleep with me?"**_

**He looked up at her shocked, and ran his finger over his mouth. He swallowed his yogurt, and takes off his glasses. "Did you just say what I think you said?"**

**She quickly responded, "That way, when I wake up in a cold sweat under the blanket, hearing Kaye's screams, you can tell me it's nothing. It's just empathy."**

As a tear slid down his cheek, he turned his attention back to the song.

_I never wanted to know_

_Never wanted to see_

_I wasted my time_

'_Til time wasted me_

He sighed. "I've wasted so much time pushing her away. And now… Now she might be…"

_I never wanted to go_

_Always wanted to stay_

'_Cause the person I am_

_Are the parts that I play_

_So I plot and I plan_

_Hope and I scheme_

_To the lure of a night_

_Filled with unfinished dreams_

"So many unfinished dreams. I've always wanted to be with her. From the first time I saw her. Wanted a family…" He spoke quietly.

_And I'm holding on tight_

_To a world gone astray_

_As they charge me for years_

_I can't pay_

_Yeah_

"So many lost years." Tears pooled from his eyes as his body began to shake.

_I am the way_

_I am the light_

_I am the dark inside the night_

_I hear your hopes_

_I feel your dreams_

_And in the dark I hear your screams_

_Don't turn away_

_Just take my hand_

_And when you make your final stand_

_I'll be right there_

_I'll never leave_

_And all I ask of you_

_Believe_

* * *

><p>So? What does everyone think? I personally like this chapter. Definitely is better than the last chapter in my opinion, lol.<p>

The song is "Believe" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

The flashbacks are from season one - episodes two: Cool Changes, and episode ten: Sex, Lies, and Larvae.

Don't forget to leave a review!

And as My Kate always tells me, "hurry and post the chapter!" I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I can!

Kay


	6. Ch 5: The Tedious Wait Begins

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. I've had two very very long weeks, and every time I went to sit down to write, I just couldn't get my mind to focus! So I'm sorry to those who have been waiting very patiently for this chapter! I love all the reviews and encouraging words! They mean a lot to me. So I hope this chapter pleases!

My Kate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Five: The Tedious Wait Begins**

"Excuse me." Nick and Greg looked up to see a nurse standing in front of them holding a clipboard. "Ms. Sidle only had the Las Vegas Crime Lab and Gilbert Grissom under her emergency contact list. I noticed you three," She looked over at Brass, "work for the Crime Lab."

"Y – Yes." Nick softly replied.

"Her information needs to be filled out." She paused for a second as she held out the clipboard. "As much as you can."

Nick stared at the clipboard in her extended hand. Greg took it gently.

"This shouldn't be too hard. We've known her for - for five years." Greg tried to sound confident. He looked down at the forms and sighed.

_Ten minutes later._

Grissom walked quickly into the ER. He had sat in his Tahoe after the song ended and had tried to calm himself down. He turned off his car as another song started to play. When he looked in the rear view mirror, he saw red eyes, but they weren't puffy so he decided he was presentable enough, and headed inside.

He gripped _her_ envelope tightly as he saw Nick and Greg sitting closest to the nurses' station while they were staring down at the clipboard in Greg's hands. Nick's face was drawn in tight, his cheeks wet, and his eyes were red and puffy. Greg sat very stiff as he was leaning forward. His eyes were dark, and distant. His hand trembled slightly as he wrote. Grissom turned his attention over to where Brass was standing at the nurses' station. He quietly was talking to one of the nurses. Grissom slowly made his way over, dreading what he was going to hear.

"Any word yet?" Grissom asked quietly.

Greg looked up with haunting eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out so he closed it. Brass walked over, wiped his eyes, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"She's st- still in-in surgery. It's pretty bad Gil." He dropped back into his seat next to Greg and closed his eyes. "They still don't- don't know." He said unevenly as he still fought with the lump in his throat.

Nick still had yet to move from his position. Grissom realized Nick was mumbling to himself over and over again.

"Here Grissom," Greg quietly said as he handed the clipboard over. "We thought we'd be able to fill out more, but –" Greg paused and swallowed his tears, "but we realized we didn't know her as well as-as we thought."

"What makes you thi-"

"She had you listed as her emergency contact." Greg quickly cut him off, and then added above a whisper, "As well as the lab."

"Oh." Grissom was shocked. He took the clipboard and sunk into a chair next to Brass. "_She must have listed me as her emergency contact when she moved here. When I was the only one she knew and trusted…" _He looked down and saw that very few parts of the form were filled out. They had her name, address, where she worked, some of her insurance information, phone number, the state she was born in, and if she was married or had any children. He noticed the questions about her family were skipped except for if she had any siblings. She had a brother, but that's all the guys knew about. Grissom wasn't even sure what happened to him. Sara avoided all topics of him when she told him about her childhood. He sighed.

"Do you know anything else about her?" Brass whispered. "I sent a text Catherine asking her to bring Sara's file. I don't know when she and Warrick will get here." Brass inhaled deeply and then let out his breath.

Grissom sat quietly for a minute then responded, "I'll see what I can do." He got up and walked over to the nurses' station. "Excuse me. I'm Gil – "

"Grissom?" Ms. Sidle's emergency contact? Glad you're here. Did you get her forms?" The nurse spoke quickly, and seemed too happy for Grissom's liking.

"Yes. I'll finish what I can in a moment." He drew in a breath, "I – I was – is she – " He stumbled over his words. His mind was all jumbled with too many different thoughts of Sara.

"Sir?" The nurse pushed.

Quickly in one breath he asked, "Can I have an update on her? Please?"

"I'll go and see what I can do." She gave him a small smile before turning and leaving.

Grissom walked back over to his seat and slowly sat down. He could feel a migraine coming. He balanced the clipboard and envelope on his lap as he pulled on his jacket, and reached in the pocket to get his pills. He took two out and popped them into his mouth.

"Migraine?"

He looked up to the soothing voice to see Catherine and Warrick standing in front of him. He nodded his head and studied Catherine's face. Her mouth was tight, and her eyes were sad, but soft. Warrick dropped into a seat next to Nick and rested his elbows on his knees as his head fell into his hands. The long day and terrifying news of Sara was evident in his posture.

Catherine's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Here Gil," He saw her holding a folder out in front of him, "Sara's –"

"Thanks." He said quietly, and took the folder.

Catherine then sat down next to him, closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath. "_This is going to be a long, long night."_

After a few moments of silence, Warrick asked the question that laid heavily on everyone's mind, "How long till we know –"

Grissom cut him off, "The nurse went to go see how –" He stopped his train of thought, but everyone knew it would be a long, and tedious wait.


	7. Ch 6: The Interrogation

So I know that it's been weeks since I last posted. Sorry about that everyone. Things have been extremely hectic. Between looking for a new job, plans of moving, spending time with my brother and his two little girls, and my cousin and her two little boys, before all plan on moving to New Jersey, and Ohio, making use of this gorgeous weather here in Connecticut by spending as much time at the beach, and fighting a sinus infection, I've been going crazy! So for those who have been with me since the start of this, and have been waiting oh so patiently for this update, I'm sorry for how long it's taken!

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or it's characters. This story is set in my own AR of my mind.

Takes place in season 5 after Sara tells Grissom about her past, but before Nick gets kidnapped.

Synopsis: A tragic accident hits CSI. Will Grissom be too late? How will the team cope with what happened, and Sara's past?

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Six: The Interrogation**

Over an hour had passed since the nurse came and told Grissom that Sara was still in surgery and that the doctors weren't sure when she'd be out. She promised to keep him updated. Now silenced filled the group during this last hour as they were all lost in their thoughts.

The clearing of a throat caused everyone to quickly look up. One of the officers from the scene was standing nervously in front of them. He cleared his throat again before he spoke, "Um. Mr. Helmington is being released into our custody now." He gestured to the left with his head. The team looked and saw a distraught Jonathon Helmington standing next to another officer. "The doctors said he should be fine for questioning, but he is still coming down from the high of whatever he took."

"Alright." Grissom spoke quietly. He looked over at his team. He knew no one wanted to leave, but they all had jobs to do. "I'll stay here and the rest of you need to go ba-"

"No!" Nick screamed startling everyone by his outburst, "I'll stay!"

"Ni-"

"No, Grissom! I was there! I need to stay! I need to…" He trailed off then quietly said, "I need to know she's a…" He stopped again.

"I know Nick. We all need to know. I'll keep everyone updated. I promise. I only have paperwork left, and that can wait. I need you to go back to your sce-"

Nick cut him off again, "Then I'm doing the interrogation! I'm doing Sara's case!"

"Fine." Grissom was in no mood to argue. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Catherine, you're with Nick. I don't care what Ecklie says, her case is ours! I'll clear it with the Under Sherriff."

"Alright, come on Nick." They quickly left with the officers and Mr. Helmington.

"Warrick, I want you to take over Nick and Sar…" He paused. "case. Brass will fill you in." Warrick and Brass quietly spoke as they walked out of the ER.

"What about me Boss?" Greg whispered.

"How's your case with Days going?" Grissom sighed, but was relieved for the short distraction.

"Bill was finishing up the suspect's interrogation. It was pretty open and close. I'm sure he closed the case up."

"Go check in with him, and start the paperwork. Take whatever case comes in next. Call Warrick or someone from Days if you need help."

Greg nodded and quietly left the ER. Work was going to be hard knowing Sara's life still hung in the balance.

_Forty-five minutes later._

The officers ushered Mr. Helmington into an interrogation room. Nick and Catherine walked over to where Ecklie and Sofia were standing. Ecklie quickly went to business.

"Took you long enough! Her accident was _three _hours ago!"

"Conrad! It takes time-"

He rudely cut her off, "Not that long-"

"It's thirty minutes there, thirty minutes back. He was _just_ released from the hospital forty-five minutes ago!"

"Whatever. Two of Days will be hand-"

"No, Nick and I will be! The Under Sherriff already approved." A smug grin appeared on her face when she saw anger in Ecklie's eyes. She turned and walked with Nick into the interrogation room. Sofia patted Ecklie on his arm and followed Catherine and Nick.

"Hello, Mr. Hel… Helmington. I'm Catherine Willows. This is Nick Stokes. We're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. And she," She pointed over to where Sofia was standing, "is Detective Sofia Curtis."

Above a whisper, "Hi. Please call me Jon."

"Alright, Jon."

He quickly spoke, "I don't know what happened. I really don't! The officers said I crashed into someone. Is she… is she alright? I'm so sorry!" He buried his face into his hands ignoring the shooting pain in his wrist and nose.

Truthfully Catherine said, "We don't know. She is still in surgery."

"Oh God!" He started to cry.

"Jon." He looked up as Sofia walked slowly to the table, "What is the last thing you remember?" She slid into the seat next to Catherine.

He thought for a moment.

"Take your time." Catherine said gently. She looked over at Nick who stood with his fists clenched in the corner of the room staring at Jon. She turned her attention back when Jon spoke.

"I was with my friend, Matt, at his sister's place."

"She have a name?" Nick's voice was rough.

Startled, Jon responded, "Um… Yeah, Jamie. I've only met her a couple of times. But um… She had a few friends over. One of them was hitting on me, but I wasn't interested. I was raised to not be rude. Even though I'm thirty, I still don't like to disappoint my mom-"

"Jon."

"Sorry. I'm nervous and talk a lot when I'm nervous."

"It's fine. What else do you remember?" Catherine pushed.

"Just that the girl who was flirting with me gave me a coke. I only remember taking a few sips. After that, everything else goes blank. I don't remember leaving or even the acc… accident." Tears started to fall again.

"Do you remember the girl's name?" Nick asked evenly.

"I never got her name. I'm sorry." He chocked out.

Sofia spoke sincerely, "No worries. The officers will take you to a temporarily cell until we get your test results back.

His head fell into his hands again as he cried, "I'm so sorry! I wish I could remember! I'll cooperate any way I can. I'll do anything!"

"Thank you." And then Jon was escorted out of the room.

Ecklie then stormed in, "You three don't believe this guy, do you?" He was greeted with silence, "You seriously can't believe he doesn't remember!"

Catherine answered as her and Nick walked out, "We'll wait for the evidence to determine that. So we won't find out until the test results come back." They left, with Sofia close behind, leaving an annoyed and pissed off Ecklie.

* * *

><p>So as Kathy told me, "LOVE Nick in this chapter", I quite agree. As I told her, I personally fell in love with him again in this, even though it's my own writing, lol.<p>

The next chapter is half written already. I'm hoping that between doing 5 loads of laundry tomorrow that it'll get done and possibly posted tomorrow. But as I said, I'm fighting off a sinus infection and I feel like my head is going to explode or pop off, so I can't make any promises. But I'm hopeful!

Thanks to all my fabulous reviewers and words of encouragement!


	8. Ch 7: The Conditions

Hey everyone! So sorry for the delay. It's been a very crazy month for me. My sister's bridal shower was last Saturday, so I was extremely busy with the planning, and getting it together. It was an amazing day, but I'm glad it's over, lol. Also had to do major full house cleaning, because of the guests that had stayed at my house. Sadly, my computer recently crashed, and my mom's won't let me put Microsoft Word on it. I'm quite upset about it. Hopefully I'll be able to reformat my hard drive and be up and going again. And lastly, I had to start packing for my move in the next month or so. That's going to be a very long and tedious process that I'm not looking forward to.

Theresa, just so you know, this does end on a mild cliff hanger, but I'm hoping this chapter pleases :)

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: See the other chapters.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Seven: The Conditions**

Grissom stared down at Sara's forms. An hour and a half had passed since the team left and he still had yet to fill out what he could. He glanced over at the chair next to him where her personnel file and the envelope addressed to her lay. He reached over and picked up the envelope, and placed the clipboard with her forms in its place. He bore his eyes into the envelope like it held all of the answers to Sara's world.

_Who is this from? Why is it so important?_ He wondered. Another cough interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and saw the nurse standing in front of him.

"I checked in on her again–" Nurse Jordan paused and swallowed, "Not much of an update. Dr. Daniels said he'll be at least another couple hours…" Her voice trailed off.

"It's that bad?" He whispered. She gave him an apologetic look and patted his shoulder. She saw the forms sitting next to him.

So pointed at them as she spoke, "You all done?"

He looked over to where she was pointing, "Uh, no. Sorry." He frowned.

"It's fine. Bring them to me when you-" His phone ringing cut her off. He looked at her. "Go ahead. I know a lot of people must be worried about her and…" She looked around before continuing, "no one else is in here." She smiled softly at him before walking away.

He sighed as he pulled his phone out, "Grissom."

"Gil…" Catherine's voice was filled with worry. "How is she? You promised to keep –"

"Catherine," He let out a breath, "She's still in surgery."

"Do they know how much longer?"

"At least a couple more hours." He ran his free hand over his tired face and sighed again.

"Another couple of hours! Oh-" Tears slid down her face as she glanced at Nick.

"Cath," His voice was shaky, "She has to-"

"She will! She's strong. She'll pull through." Silence filled the line. After a few moments, "Gil?"

"Y-yeah?" He whispered.

"Just hang in there. She's…" She took a deep breath, "She needs you to be strong." And with that she hung up.

He slowly brought his phone down and stared at the envelope in his lap. He swallowed back the tears. His eyes focusing on her name written across the envelope. _Why?_ So many "whys" going through his head. Unsteady fingers traced over her name. _Why? Why? Why?_He slowly turned in his seat some and looked down at her forms. A tear slid out the corner of his eye. He sighed as he dropped the envelope onto the chair next to her forms. A shaky hand ran over his tired face once again. Have to be strong. Have to be strong. He let out a deep breath as he picked up the forms. He stared down at them as he picked up the pen.

**INSURANCE**

He then opened up her file and looked for her insurance information. He quickly filled out the information on her forms. Another tear slid down his cheek.

**PATIENT HISTORY**

He stared at, "Operations/Hospitalizations." He swallowed hard.  
><em>"The fights, the yelling, the trips to the hospital. I thought it was the way that everybody lived."<em>Her words repeating over and over again in his head.

Another hour had passed by the time Grissom finished filling out Sara's forms. He looked through one more time to be absolutely sure. He was surprised he was able to fill out the majority of the forms. He let out a low groan as he sat up. His back was stiff from being bent forward for the last hour. He slowly stood up and walked over to where Nurse Jordan was sitting.

"I finished." He spoke softly.

"Thanks. I was just about to go check in again. I'll be back soon." She was up and gone before he could replay.

He walked back to his chair and collapsed into it. Left with a migraine and his thoughts, he quietly groaned again. _I can't just sit here and wait. I'm going to go crazy. I need a distraction!  
><em>  
>"Still in surgery. Will still be awhile. I'm sor-"<p>

"Thanks." He gave her a tired small smile. "I'll be… I'll be in the cafeteria..." His voice trailed.

"Alright. I'll come find you if I hear more." She turned and went back to her paperwork as he made way for a hopeful distraction.

~~~~GSR~~~~

Catherine's phone ringing pulled the team out of their thoughts. They all sat in the break room waiting for results from cases, and for Grissom's call with an update. It had been two hours since their last update from him. They all were now sitting up straight and on the edges of their seats when Catherine answered.

"Willows."

"Hey…" His voice went quiet.

"Gil!" Everyone stared at her waiting impatiently. "How… how is she?"

Sadness in his voice, "Still in surgery."

"Damn." She sighed and shook her head. The rest of the team fell back into their chairs.

"I'm going to go. I tried to eat something…" He paused, "I need air." He hung up quickly.

~~~~GSR~~~~

Another two hours passed when Nurse Jordan found him sitting on the ground up against the hospital. She pulled her sweater tighter around her as the cold wind snapped against her body. The pitch black sky showed the signs of a nasty storm ready to hit. She slid down to sit next to him, and studied his profile. His knees were pulled up to his chest with arms tightly wrapped around them. His chin was resting on top as he stared out into the night. His face was drawn in tight, the long, endless night etched into his skin. His eyes, dark as the night's sky, were sad and empty. She finally spoke, "Dr. Daniels will be talking to you shortly…" Her voice faltered when he turned his head to look at her, "She's out of surgery." She whispered. She saw a glint of hope flicker in his eyes.

"Thank you." He quietly said as he stood up and hurried back inside.

_Fifteen minutes later._

Dr. Daniels walked into the waiting room. He hated this part of the job. The ER was deserted with the exception of one man – who was impatiently pacing between the chairs. He slowly made his way over to the anxious man.

"Dr. Grissom?"

Grissom stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around to see the doctor standing there. "How is she? She… Is…" He stumbled over his words.

"Dr. Grissom. I'm Dr. Chris Daniels…" When he paused, Grissom saw sadness flash through the Doctor's eyes.

"H… How…" Grissom swallowed the lump of tears.

"She's pretty beat up." He motioned to the chairs, "How about we sit?"

Grissom watched as the Doctor sat then followed suit. "Is she-"

"She's a fighter-" Dr. Daniels said at the same time. He gently smiled at Grissom. He repeated himself, "She's a fighter."

"Yes, yes she is." Grissom spoke quietly.

"She'll have a very long and hard recovery. Her injuries are pretty bad." Grissom's eyes went wide. "Her face is a little swollen, a lot of bruises, and a broken nose. Her right side is a little bruised from being thrown into the middle console, but it's her left side that the accident damaged the most. Don't be alarmed when you see her, especially the fact that her left side and face are covered in nasty bruises. Her left shoulder luckily didn't break, but her arm had popped out of the socket. We popped it back in, and should be fine. Her upper arm didn't break either, but her elbow and forearm broke in four different places. Her wrist broke in a few places as well, mostly due to being pinned by the steering wheel." Dr. Daniels stopped and let Grissom absorb what he was just told.

Grissom finally looked at him, eyes glistened with tears. He nodded for Dr. Daniels to continue.

"She has a few broken ribs as well. She had some internal bleeding, but nothing too serious. We were able to quickly stop the bleeding." He paused for a few moments. "Here's why her surgery took so long…"

* * *

><p>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Again, I am sorry for the late posting. Chapter 8 is written, and chapter 9 is mostly done. Hopefully they will be posted soon for you all, but depends on getting use of a computer that will allow me!<p>

Kay


	9. Ch 8: The Beeping Silence

So here's a shorter wait for this chapter, yay! lol. Hope this pleases.

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: See beginning chapters.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter eight: The Beeping Silence**

An hour had passed since Dr. Daniels told Grissom the extent of Sara's injuries. He now stood outside her ICU room trying to work up the courage to go in there. _I can't go in. I can't do this._ He started to walk away. _No! I have to._ He turned and walked back to her door. He put his hand on the door handle, but quickly pulled back as if it burned him. _Stop being stupid! Just go in!_ But he stood frozen, a scowl crossed his face. Ten minutes passed and he was still battling his internal battles. He hesitated again and turned away.

"You know-" Grissom jumped when he heard her voice and a hand on his shoulder. "I think she would just appreciate it if you went in there, and kept her company." He turned and looked at Nurse Jordan with a sad filled smile.

"I… I…" He paused and shook his head as he looked down. He tried again, "I don't…" He swallowed, looked up, and forced out in one breath, "I don't even know if she would want me in there." He glanced down at the floor.

"I'm sure-"

"We haven't been on the best of terms lately." He spoke quietly, tears glistened his eyes.

"But that doesn't matter." She looked at him with a sad smile of her own. "I'm sure she knows you-" she stopped as he looked back at her. "Coming from someone you just met, I know this probably doesn't mean much but… but despite how your relationship is with her at the moment, you obviously care deeply for her. By you going in there," She pointed at the door, "she'll know you are there and care."

He croaked out, "How-"

"In my experience, I've seen people who are surrounded by loved ones recover more quickly than those who aren't." She gave him a weak smile, gave his shoulder a squeeze, and walked away.

He stared at her door for a few moments. He sighed and grabbed the handle once again. He breathed in deeply then slowly opened the door. He slowly walked in and closed the door quietly behind him. The beeping of her machines filled his ears as he stared at the floor. The only light on in the room was the lamp beside her bed, and it was very dim. Once his eyes adjusted, he released the breath he was holding and looked up. He froze at the site of her and gulped – hard. He wanted to tear his eyes away from her, but he couldn't. All he could do was stare at her. She was so still. _Damn it!_

Bruises and cuts covered her face and neck. There was a small butterfly bandage over her broken nose. He noticed the swelling on her face and grimaced. Her left arm, from right above her elbow and down to her knuckles sported a white cast. He stared at her left hand and thought back to the lab explosion a couple years ago. _The cast covers up her nasty scar._ His eyes drifted across her stomach and chest where bruises covered and broken ribs rested were hidden. His eyes then glanced at her right arm and hand. Her IV line peaked out from under tape holding it in place. Her middle finger had her ECG attached. He noticed her heart rate was weaker than it should be. Finally, his eyes settled on her propped up left leg. The white cast covered her entire leg and foot. A tear slid down his cheek as he thought back to what Dr. Daniels told him.

**FLASHBACK**

"_Here's why her surgery took so long. Her left leg is broken is six different places. Three places on the femur, one place on the tibia, and two places on the fibula. Her ankle is also broken in a couple places. Her knee was shattered, so we had to rebuild it." Dr. Daniels paused again. Grissom was holding his breath as a few tears trailed down his cheeks. He then continued, "We had to put some metal in her knee to replace the bones that were too shattered. It'll take awhile for it to heal, but should heal fine. She might have some trouble for awhile, especially when she starts to walk again. She'll be in physical therapy for quite some time. It's going to be a very long and painful recovery for her." He gave Grissom a sad smile, and took a very deep breath, "But the worse is that she has slipped into a coma-"_

"_Wha-What?" Shock shook through Grissom's voice, "H-how…"_

"_I don't know. It'll be up to her when she wakes up… I'm sorry-"_

_Oh God, no._

Grissom slowly made his way over to the right side of her bed. He slowly pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down. He stared at her swollen face and swallowed the lump in his throat. His eyes drifted to her hand as he reached for it. He intertwined their fingers together and rested them in his other hand. Her skin felt cool against his burning skin. Tears poured from his darkening blue eyes as his head dropped on top of their hands. His body shook hard as he mumbled, "I'm so sorry" over and over again.

**BACK AT THE LAB**

"Why the hell hasn't Grissom called? He said he'd keep us updated! It's been three hours since we've heard from him!" Nick said angrily to the others. They were all about to come off shift and were sitting in the break room waiting impatiently.

"Nicky, calm down! He'll call. There might not-"

"Three hours Cath!" Nick screamed as he stood up so quickly that his chair flew back, and he slammed his fists down on the table.

"Nick, you need to-"

"Do NOT tell me to calm down! How the hell am I supposed to calm down? You weren't there…" Nick shook his head, "You didn't see it happen." Nick's legs gave out as he collapsed to the floor, his body shaking. Catherine went over to Nick and wrapped her arms around him.

"I know, Nicky. I know." She said as tears filled her eyes. _If it's this hard on Gil, Greg, Warrick, and me, I can only imagine how it's on Jim and Nick._

* * *

><p>So, how did you guys all like Nick's reaction? I'm quite pleased. It's how I always see his kind of reaction to something like this. My hearts tugs for him all the times despite that this is my own story. Don't forget to review!<p>

Chapter 9 will be up asap. I'm currently working on it!

Kay_  
><em>


	10. Ch 9: On the Edge

Hey everyone! So this chapter is pretty short, but it does a pretty good job if I do say so myself. Writer's Block got the best of me on this, so I just ended it where I saw was a good place. I started writing chapter 10, and guess what, writer's block is slowly leaving. lol. So this story is definitely not going where I had originally was going to have it go; it seemed to take over itself and I now have no clue what it'll entail. So we're all in for a surprise as the story unfolds :)

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: See prologue.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Nine: On the Edge**

The raging storm outside was the only sounds that echoed through the break room. The team all sat while silent tears streamed down their faces. The chirping of Catherine's phone broke the silence. She unwrapped her grip from Nick and pulled her phone out.

Softly, "Willows."

"Hey Cath."

"Gil?" The others quickly looked at her with hope in their wet eyes. "Gil?" Machines beeping was all she could hear. "How… Please!" She begged.

"It's – it's bad. She's out of sur-" Trembles shook through his voice as he stared at Sara's swollen, blank face. He then whispered, "There's a lot of damage, and she's – she's slipped into a coma…"

"Oh my God!" Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head, "No-"

"She's in ICU, room 508." And with that he hung up.

"Gil? GIL! DAMN IT!" She yelled as she threw her phone across the floor.

Greg spoke up first, "What did he say?" Hope evident in his voice.

"She's out of surgery and in ICU-"

"That's it!" Nick stood up quickly, "That's ALL he said! That bast–"

Warrick yelled as he pushed Nick down into a chair, "Sit your ass down, Nick! Calm down! You didn–"

Nick looked up at him angry, "Stop telling me to calm down!" Nick slammed his fists on the table again. "How can I when – when I saw her get plowed into that pole. You guys didn't hear the painful silence of the night when I called her name over and over again! So don't keep telling me to calm down!" Everyone in the nearby hallways and labs stopped what they were doing, and were staring at the CSIs with pain in their eyes. "Grissom shouldn't of stayed. He doesn't give a damn! He NEVER has–"

"Nick-"

"No! All he does is hurt her! You know it! He knows it! Everyone knows it!"

"NICK!" Catherine screamed. Her patience wearing thin. "STOP!" When he looked at her with blazing dark, water filled eyes, she put her hands on his shoulders while she softly spoke, "I know you're on edge because of this. We all are - even Grissom. As I was trying to say before, she's out of surgery and in ICU. But also…" She took a deep breath, "Also… She… she's slipped into a coma." Breaths being sucked in could be heard throughout the room. "We all need to stay strong for her. We're her family – even Grissom. Take a deep breath and relax. Please."

Nick took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. He spoke so softly that everyone strained to hear him, "I'm so sorry. It's just so hard… to see her like that and not to be able to do anything to help her."

The team looked at Nick with sad, tearful eyes. Warrick spoke up, "Why don't we all go see her. Let her know we'll all there for her." Nods came from everyone else. "I'll drive."

**BACK AT THE HOSPITAL**

Grissom sat stiffly as he was haunch over in the chair next to Sara's bed. His hands were tightly, but gently holding her hand and his thumb idly drew patterns on the side of her hand. His eyes were puffy and red, but shed no more tears. They were unfocused on her face as her words from a few years ago rang eerily in his head, _"I wish I was like you, Grissom. I wish I didn't feel anything." _His words were quiet, but echoed through the small room, "I'm so sorry, Sara. Please wake up. You've been through so much, you have to wake up. Please! I'll… I… Please. Wake up!" _I need you._

* * *

><p>Now if only Grissom would actually say out loud to her that he needs her! So don't forget that review button and let me know what you think!<p>

I don't know when I'll get the next chapter done. A friend is coming up from FL tomorrow and I don't know what Sweet Jorja, Sunny, and I have planned. Probably just hanging out and what not. Then Thursday we're off to a lake called, Bigelow Hollow, up in Union, CT. So no writing will probably get done that day either. Then I'm back home, where my computer still needs to be reformatted, and my mom's computer is a piece of crap. Maybe Sweet Jorja will let me borrow her laptop again until I can get mine up and running! *fingers crossed* But please stay patient with me, as I don't know when chapter 10 will be posted; so it could be another couple weeks to another month or so. I'm sorry!

Kay


	11. Ch 10: The Reactions

Hey everyone! So my friend let me borrow her computer until I can get mine up and going again, which I'm very thankful for! Writing this has now taken place as my breaks while I pack up house. The move is going to be tedious as there is a lot of packing and cleaning to be done. So hopefully everyone bares with me as I don't know when the next chapter will be done. But, I hope this chapter pleases.

MyKate Beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Dr. Daniels and Nurse Jordan as they're characters I made up.

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><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Ten: The Reactions**

The team walked quickly into the hospital's lobby. They were all scared to go see Sara after Catherine told them how Grissom said her injuries were pretty bad. They were worried mostly due to the fact of her being in a coma. They slowly made their way to the elevator in silence. Once in the closed space alone, Catherine pressed the button for the fifth floor as she spoke softly, "She's in 508." The team nodded their heads. The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the fifth floor. When the doors opened, they all took deep breaths before stepping out. Catherine looked around the semi-busy floor before turning left towards room 508. As they came to Sara's room, the nurse from earlier was coming out and accidently bumped into Catherine. Nurse Jordan looked up with sad, apologetic eyes, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. You're from the ER when we came in earlier." Catherine said.

"Oh, yes! I normally assist Dr. Daniels, but I was vol-" She trailed off, and smiled gently, "Sorry. Um. I'll go get Dr. Daniels for you all." She looked at the door sadly while she continued, "Um. He'll explain everything to you all. Have a seat." She pointed to the nearby lobby before quickly walking away.

A few minutes later, Dr. Daniels appeared, "Hello. I'm Dr. Daniels. Ms. Sidle's doctor." He shook the teams' hands.

"Catherine Willows, and my co-workers, Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, and Greg Sanders."She breathed in deeply, "We're… We're working her case…" She semi-lied.

"Let's go to my office, and I'll explain Ms. Sidle's injuries."

Greg spoke in one breath, "When can we see her?"

"Um-"

"We're the only," he used air quotes, "'family' she has…"

"No, it's not a problem. I'll explain once we've reached my office."

~~~~GSR~~~~

The team unhurriedly made their way back to Sara's room. They couldn't believe everything that Dr. Daniels told them. They were scared to see her – they didn't want all of this to be true. Catherine stopped at room 508's door, and turned and looked at the boys. Unshed tears and sorrow filled all their eyes. She breathed in deeply and let out a quiet sigh, "We should take turns…" She looked at Nick. He looked lost, and her heart broke for him. He slowly shook his head "no" to her silent question. She turned her attention to Warrick and Greg. "I'll go in first. Then you two can, and then Nick." She slowly turned back to Sara's door. She inhaled deeply and quietly went in.

Grissom had his head down on top of their joined hands. His face was turned towards Sara's face as he stared at her. He stayed in his position when he heard the door open and close quietly. He gripped Sara's hand tighter as he whispered, "Please. Wake up." He heard the soft footsteps coming closer, but he tried to ignore them as he knew they belonged to Catherine. Only the beeping of Sara's machine filled the room.

"Gil?" Catherine finally spoke as she fixed her eyes on Sara's unconscious body. Quiet tears streamed down her face. Only when she hiccupped a few times did Grissom finally turn his head to look at her. He kept his head down on his and Sara's hands, but his eyes locked with Catherine's. She saw puffy, red eyes through her blurry ones. She lowered her head as her body trembled. She mumbled, "God, Sara. I'm so sorry." Grissom turned his head back towards Sara's face and inhaled her scent. Catherine looked up and slowly walked to Sara's side, gently putting her hand down on Sara's right knee. She patted her knee one last time as she quickly spoke, "I'm here for you." Then she hurried out of the room as Grissom thought, _We're all here for you. You need to wake up._

Once outside the room, Catherine collapsed to the floor against the wall. Sobs racked through her body. The guys looked at her as their own bodies ached for their grieving team-family. Warrick looked at Greg and nudged his head in the direction of Sara's room as he sunk down to the floor next to Catherine and engulfed her into his strong arms.

Greg's legs slowly shuffled to Sara's door. He looked one last time at his hurting friends then quietly slipped into the room. He let the door shut with a gentle click as his eyes adjusted to the dim room. He kept his eyes down on the floor and walked closer to Sara's bed. Once he reached her bed he lifted his eyes to her beaten body. His hands braced himself on the end of the bed as his body and mind shut down at the sight before him. For once, Greg had no words. He broke down and slid to the floor.

Grissom listened to Greg's sobs as silent tears ran down his cheeks. _Sara, please. You have to wake up. We're all hurting._

Straining his ears, he listened to Greg as he mumbled, "Wake up, Sara! You're my sister. My mentor. My best friend. You have to wake up!" And then Greg quickly stood up, looked at her one last time, and left the room while wiping his tear-stained cheeks.

Greg slowly slid down to the floor on the opposite wall of Catherine and pulled his knees up close to his chest, burying his face as his whole being trembled.

Warrick gently unwrapped himself from Catherine and made his way into Sara's room. He walked carefully over to her left side and gently rubbed her bruised shoulder and upper arm. He stared at Grissom, whose head lay still on their joined hands. His eyes were so puffy, red, and with tear after tear pouring from his blackened eyes. Warrick's heart tugged for his normally strong and emotionless mentor. His eyes then wandered over Sara's battered body. When his eyes settled on her swollen, bruised face, he gripped her shoulder slightly, "Damn girl… I know you're listening to me, so you need to open those big, curious brown eyes of yours. Please. I'm not giving up on you!" He squeezed her shoulder once last time, and left the room. Grissom closed his eyes tightly as the tears came hard and whispered, "Please wake up! None of us are giving up on you!" _Especially not me!_

Warrick sat back down next to Catherine and wrapped his arms around her again. He held back his tears – he needed to be the strong one, especially after seeing Grissom. He laid his head down on top of Catherine's as she buried herself into him. His eyes scanned around him. Greg still had his shaking body pulled into himself. The doctors and nurses were quiet, but they quickly went about their tasks at hand. _Nick._ Nick was gone.

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><p>My heart feels for all of them. Especially Grissom and Nick. Oh, Nick. No yelling at me, as I told Kathy, I have something up my sleeve for Nick; but you all just have to be patient to find out!<p>

Kay


	12. Ch 11: The Storm

Hey everyone! Chapter 11 is up! Hope this pleases everyone! I'll like to give a special thanks to my beta, MyKate. Kathy, you're wonderful and I really appreciate all the help you've given me!  
>In other news: Who's heard about Ted Danson replacing Laurence Fishburne this coming season? I'm not sure what to think truthfully. I have a feeling this will be the last season with Marg leaving as well, and the whole new day and time.<br>Lastly, I started to get my other story down on paper the other day. It's a fun and great write, and I can't wait to share it with everyone. I won't be posting it any time soon though, but it's a great help when I have writer's block for this story, lol.

As previous stated, MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. I only own Dr. Daniels and Nurse Jordan.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Eleven: The Storm**

_Nick._ Nick was gone. Warrick looked back at Greg, whose trembles were a constant. His head was still buried on his knees. _Where could Nick have gone? Sara needs us – all of us. _He looked down at Catherine, who had stopped shaking. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing even. She still clutched onto his shirt as if it were her life line. _Nick, where did you go?_

~~~~GSR~~~~

The storm outside had gotten worse since the team arrived. To Nick, the raging storm seemed as though God was hurting just as much as he was. He stood outside, in the small patch of desert nearby, staring up into the black sky as the rain washed away his streaming tears. He threw his fists up into the air as he screamed, "Why?" He fell down onto his knees, "Why, God? Why her?" His body shook hard as the thunder roared loudly through the dead of the morning. He collapsed to the ground, his knees sinking further into the sand as his forehead rested on the muddy desert ground, and his fists balled up tight, pounding the ground. "I can't lose her. She's my best friend, "he spoke softly. He then lifted his head, pounded the ground again as he yelled, "You can't take her! She has so much life left! I NEED HER!"

_Thirty minutes later._

Nurse Jordan quietly passed the distressed CSIs. Greg's body was stiff, and motionless. He appeared to have cried himself to sleep. Catherine was still sleeping uneasily in Warrick's arms. Warrick wasn't sleeping, but he had his eyes closed as his head rested upon Catherine's. Nurse Jordan's face was sad as she silently entered Sara's room. She carefully went about checking Sara's vitals and making sure she was comfortable without disturbing the grieving man who clung onto Sara's hand. She gave Grissom's shoulder a slight squeeze then quietly left.

Grissom stared at Sara's face and sighed. He looked over at the door and wondered why everyone, but Nick had come in. _Maybe he just isn't ready yet._

"God, Sara." He sighed again as he lightly squeezed her hand. His eyes roamed over her body. Casts covered up most of her left side which pained him, but she still looked beautiful to him. "I know… I haven't really…" He swallowed hard, "I'm sorry Sara. You just need to wake up. Everyone is at a loss…esp…especially Nick… an… and me. I know I haven't really been there for you these last couple years, but if you please wake up, I'll… I'll be there for the rest of our _lives_… Just, please…" He lifted her hand up carefully and placed a light kiss on her knuckles. He then set it back down, stood up, and walked over to the window. He stared out the window into the black, down pouring sky. He looked over towards the desert and was barely able to make out the silhouette of a person. _Who would be crazy enough to be outside in this weather? Oh. Nick._

Grissom reached over for his jacket that was laying on the floor next to the chair in which he was sitting. He picked it up, and something fell to the ground. He stared at the envelope. He had forgotten about it. He had put it into his jacket's pocket as Dr. Daniels lead him to Sara's ICU room. He reached down and picked it up. _I still don't… Sara._ He looked over to her. He sighed. _I'll figure it out later._ He put the envelope into the end table's drawer. He didn't want anyone to open it up or for it to get lost. He slid his jacket on and leaned down to her ear. He whispered, "I'll be right back, I promise." He kissed her cheek softly and then left the room.

Warrick looked up when he heard the door quietly clicked. He was shocked when he saw Grissom leaving her room. Grissom looked down at Warrick, who was still holding Catherine. Warrick squeezed her shoulders, and a startled Catherine then looked up, "Gil?"

"I'll be back soon." He looked over at Greg and, unsure if he was sleeping or not, asked softly, "Will someone go in and sit with her until I get back-"

Greg shot his head up, "Where are you going?" His eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

"Please, someone-" he pointed back to Sara's door, "I don't want her alone… just in case…"

Greg looked over at Warrick and Catherine, who were still in each other's arms. He looked around the hallway and realized Nick wasn't there anymore. "Where's Nick?"

Catherine glanced around as Warrick spoke, "I don't know. When I came back out, he was gone." Everyone's gazes landed on Grissom.

"Don't look at me." He shrugged his shoulders to release some of the tension in them, "I've been with Sara this whole time." And with that, he walked away.

The trio stared at one another, confused. Greg stood up, "I'll go sit with her…" Then he slowly walked into her room.

~~~~GSR~~~~

Grissom stepped outside. The harsh storm whipped around him. He zipped up his coat and hugged his arms around himself. He slowly and carefully stepped out into the pouring rain. He narrowed his eyes to try to see through the storm, looking around for Nick. Once his eyes finally settled on him, he meandered over to him. Shouting over the storm, "Nick! Are you crazy!" Thunder cracked behind them as a lightning bolt flashed in the distance. As the sky brightened with the bolt, Nick looked up at Grissom from his position on the muddy ground. Despite the rain, Grissom was able to see his tears in his dark, red eyes.

"I… I…" He laid his forehead against the desert again, and breathed in deeply. "It's not fair." He whispered into the ground.

"Being in this storm and getting sick isn't the answer, Poncho." Grissom lowered himself down next to Nick, and Nick turned his head to look at him. "I know...it's not easy… But she survived. She'll wake up-"

"How…We don't know-"

"She will. She's strong. She has too many people who love her. She won't give up. She's going to keep fighting." Grissom laid his hand down onto Nick's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. The sky lit up again and the thunder continued to roar. Grissom gave Nick a short nod, "Come on. Let's go get you dry clothes, and then go check on Sara."

Nick continued to stare him. This openness was a side of Grissom that was well-hidden until now. _What happened to the Grissom I know? _The answer came to him: Sara. _She has changed us, changed all of us…and we just wouldn't be the same without her._ Looking closely into the worry found in Grissom's eyes, Nick gave him a nod back and slowly got to his feet. _And maybe some of us have finally figured that out. _With heavy steps, Nick matched Grissom's pace as they moved swiftly towards the hospital entrance. He was covered in mud and soaked to the bone. He shivered slightly and paused before the automatic doors welcomed them into their shelter from the storm. Nick looked back up into the dark sky. He felt rather than heard his final plea. _She will survive. You won't take her from us._

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><p>Don't forget to review! They're always much appreciated!<p>

Kay


	13. Ch 12: The Tests Results

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Between this heat and packing for my move, I just have not had the energy at the end of the day to write this and to do the research for it - it just made my head hurt every time I thought about it. But hey, it's done now and I'm glad I'm able to post this before my move (Which is in a week, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done). But the plot thickens and I hope you enjoy!

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, just the Verners, and Helmington characters, which I made up.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter twelve: The Test Results**

A week had gone by since Sara's accident. She had yet to wake up from her coma, and Grissom never left her side. Dr. Daniels had a cot set up in the room for him, and the cafeteria staff brings up food when he asks. The team visits as often as they can, but work has been hectic, especially being down two CSIs. Ecklie moved Catherine, Warrick, and Nick back to the graveyard, allowing Catherine to act as the unit's supervisor until Grissom gets back. Both the day and night shifts have been taking turns covering the swing shift until replacements are found. The Lab had been unusually quiet during the last week. All lab techs keep to themselves and, without word, those involved with Sara's case put work on that evidence above everyone else's – no one complained.

The team was sitting in the break room at the start of shift, waiting for Catherine to come in with assignments. Las Vegas never sleeps, and the criminals decided to prove it – they all decided to stir up all kinds of crimes in the city. Catherine breezed into the break room and headed straight for the coffee pot. She breathed in the sluggish smell and wrinkled her nose. She took a few sips, and then sat down at the table.

"Sorry I'm late guys…" The guys nodded their heads in response, "Had a meeting with Eckl-"

Hodges and Mia came running into the room followed by Ecklie. Everyone looked up as Hodges cut Catherine off, "You all busy?" Catherine glared at him as he continued, "We have Mr. Helmington's results!" He slid down into a chair next to Catherine.

A very annoyed Catherine spoke, "Well?"

Mia spoke up before Hodges could, "His blood work showed evidence of blow and ruffies."

"He had cocaine and ruffies? That would explain why he couldn't remember anything…" Catherine said.

"When you interviewed him, he was sober. The high of coke doesn't last extremely long; if he snorted it, which we can check his nostrils, means his high lasted thirty minutes tops, but if he injected or smoked it, his high wouldn't have lasted more than ten minutes. Again, easy enough to find out which way he took it. My guess, he snorted, because he was still high on it when he smashed into Sara…" Mia swallowed hard and was about to continue when Hodges threw his two cents in, "So that means, he didn't take the coke that long before the ruffie."

Catherine gave him an annoyed glare, "So he left Jamie's between five and twenty minutes after he ingested the coke and ruffie?"

"Yup," Hodges went on, "Which means also, whoever gave him the ruffie, let him leave… knowing there was a chance something bad could happen…especially if they knew he had coke in his system too."

Catherine sighed. As much as the gossiping lab tech annoyed her and couldn't stand him cutting people off as they spoke, she had to agree with conclusions.

"We're in luck!" Brass quickly moved into the break room, "Turns out that Jamie and Matt are back from their family vacation… My guys are bringing them in now." His grin widened.

They had been trying all week to get a hold of the two siblings. They were the last, among a few of Jamie's unknown friends, to see Jon before he got into the accident with Sara. When they went over to both of their apartments, they found out through neighbors that they were on the yearly family vacation with their parents for the week. So the case had been in a stand-still since then.

"Good! Can't wait to talk to them!" Nick exclaimed.

"And Brass, we'll need to talk with Jon again as well." She smiled. They were finally getting somewhere. "Warrick and Greg, looks like you two are solo tonight. B&E out in Henderson – Warrick, I'll let you handle that one. And Greg, possible homicide at the bus station downtown."

~~~~GSR~~~~

Catherine, Nick, and Brass stood outside the interrogation rooms. Matt Verner was in one, and his sister, Jaime Verner, was in the other. Catherine turned towards the guys, "Who should we talk to first?"

"I say, Matt. He's the reason Jon was brought to Jaime's in the first place." Brass roughly said.

"Agreed." Nick said as he nodded.

Brass opened the door, and held it open as Catherine and Nick both walked in. Brass took up a spot in the back corner of the room while Catherine and Nick both sat across the table from Matt.

"Hello, Mr. Verner –"

"Please, m'am, call me Matt." He spoke gently.

"Alright, Matt. I'm Catherine Willows, and this is Nick Stokes, we're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab." She paused, and nudged her head in the direction of Brass, "And that's Detective Brass." Matt nodded his head in "Hello".

Nick studied him for a moment, and Matt started to get a little restless, "Why am I here? I don't recall doing anything wrong, not to mention I've been in Hawaii for the past week…"

"Do you know a Mr. Jonathon Helmington?" Nick 's voice was firm.

"Yeah, he's my best friend. Has been since we were ten… Why? What happened? Is he alright?"

"He's fine, for now. He was in a car accident last week." Catherine tried to keep her voice calm.

"Oh no! But he's…he's fine?" Worry shook through Matt's voice.

"Yes. I was wondering if you can tell us about him some."

Matt nodded, "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Did he use drugs?"

"Um, not that I know of…"

"Are you sure?" Catherine questioned.

"Yeah. He… he…"

"You don't seem too sure." Nick's voice was a little harsh.

"Look, all growing up he refused to even drink a little. His dad was an alcoholic, and his mom did coke…" Catherine and Nick looked at one another, "He always said he would never turn out like them-"

"You keep using past tense, Matt."

"I was starting to suspect drug abuse, but I don't know for sure…"

"He was high when he slammed into the other car." Now Nick's voice was hard.

"Oh, no." Matt dropped his head into his hands and shook his head. "I was going to bring it up with him the night we went to Jamie's. Her ex was a druggy, so I was gonna ask her to help me. But, but…"

"But what?" Catherine's voice was soft.

"She had a few friends over, so there was no chance in that happening." Matt sighed and then looked up, "I'm so sorry. How is the other…"

"In a coma." Brass finally spoke, his voice extremely rough, "We need the names of her friends."

"Um, I only remember Linda being there. I didn't really talk to the other two. I never met them before, and Jamie and I were arguing most of the time."

"About what?" Nick's voice was a little calmer.

"I had told her the day before going over that I needed her help. She was cool with it. Said it would be just the three of us there…I left about an hour after being there. Jon refused to go with me, so I just left." He shook his head, "Can I go now?"

"Soon." Brass spoke.

"Excuse us." Catherine and Nick stood, nodded at Brass, and they all left the room. They went to the room that held the two-way mirror to Jamie's interrogation room. Catherine released a sigh and stared at Jamie.

"He seems sincere." Brass spoke quietly.

"Who knows. He and Jamie could have worked something out all week while away…" Nick shook his head.

"I don't know, Nick. Look at her…" Catherine drew in a deep breath, "He was calm when we first started talking to him, she's… she's fidgety – very fidgety."

"True, but that could be for a number of things, Cath."

"Well, come on. Let's go see what she has to say." With that, Brass left the room. Catherine and Nick stared at Jamie for another minute, before moving towards their next interrogation.

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><p>So as I said, I did research for this, so I'm hoping that I got my time tables right with the whole coke and ruffies info. If not, sorry! lol.<p>

Also, Mia is the DNA tech. For the time period, near the end of season 5, Mia was the tech, not Wendy (I looked it up to be sure, lol).

Again, with the move coming closer, I really don't know when the next chapter will be done, so please, bare with me. The move will probably take many days as then some to get settled; so I probably won't even have internet for the first couple of days - which I'll be going crazy out of my mind about. I already have the next chapter in mind and how I think it'll go, but as always, the story goes where I don't think it will, but hopefully in the next few weeks or so, it'll get done and be posted.

Kay


	14. Ch 13: The Shock

So it seems fanfiction is having some issues; hopefully they'll resolve them soon. On a better note, I was able to get some writing in today as I had to wait for my cousin to come with more boxes 'cause I ran out and was at a stand still for packing today. Move in day starts in just a little over a day, and I'm going crazy with trying to get everything packed and cleaned. I'm hoping to get more writing done this coming week, while moving and settling in, but that's only God willing I'm not too exhausted during the day and when I'm done for the day... So keep your fingers crossed. I still don't know when there'll be internet though, so it might be a couple weeks till the next chapter is posted, but I promise you, I already have started it as my mind was just on a roll, and only had to stop, because my brothers stopped by to help. Reviewers, I thank you. You've been a great inspiration to keep this story going. I know this chapter is short, but I hope it pleases :)

ThessTureHeart, beware of a surprising and interesting twist. I can't wait to see your reaction.  
>MyKate, I always love your comments. They always put a smile on my face, and keeps me grinning as you try to figure some things out :)<p>

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I only own my made up characters and nothing else.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Thirteen: The Shock**

As Brass, Catherine, and Nick walked into the room, Jamie looked up and hurriedly spoke, "I can't be arrested! I didn't do anything!"

"Ms. Verner… You're not-"

"Oh, thank God!" She slouched back into her chair as she cut off Brass' comment.

Brass continued, "As I was saying, you're not being arrested… Should you be?" He raised an eyebrow as he pulled the chair next to her and moved it to the end of the table. He turned it around and straddled it, folding and resting his forearms on the back of it.

"No. _No_!" Her eyes grew wide.

Catherine and Nick sat down in the other two chairs. Catherine glanced at Nick then looked back at Jamie.

"Ms. Verner… I'm Catherine Willows. This is Nick Stokes. We're from the Crime Lab-" She held up her hand so Jamie couldn't cut her off, "And he's Detective Jim Brass…" She took a deep breath, "Mr. Jonathon Helmington was in a car accident last week."

"Oh my God! Is he alright? I need to talk to M-"

"We already talked to Matt." Nick spoke as he intently looked at her, "And Mr. Helmington is alright."

"Oh, that's good! I…I…What happened?" Tears glistened in her eyes.

"How long has Mr. Helmington abused drugs?" Brass asked.

"What? Jon! Never!" Shock ran through her voice.

"His tox results beg to differ. When he crashed into the oth-"

"Wait!" Her eyes big, "He… He…"

Brass ignored her and continued, "So again, how long has he-"

He sighed, "I really don't know! I swear!" She kept shaking her head as her eyes kept looking at all three of them, "Matt… He was concerned. He told me he need help talking to Jon. I… I didn't listen. I had some more friends over… I thought…" She dropped her head into her hands as she kept shaking her head.

"What did you think?" Nick pushed, "Jaime…"

Jamie looked up and sighed. Tears in her eyes, "I thought that they would help relax him… Then Matt and I were arguing and…and he stormed out. He was pissed! Jon refused…" she gulped, "he refused to go with Matt…" She looked between all three of them, "I… I left shortly after Matt…"

She stared wide eye at Catherine.

In a calm voice, Catherine spoke, "Where did you go?"

"I…was going to go after Matt, but he peeled out of the parking lot. I decided to leave him alone, let him cool down. I texted Linda saying I was going to go for a walk…to, you know, clear my head. Linda told me not to worry. That she, Cassey, and Bre would keep Jon company. So I went to the bar. I got drunk…" She shook her head again.

Brass slid paper and a pen in front of her, "We need Linda, Cassey, and Bre's full names and phone numbers. Please."

She nodded her head, and quickly wrote down all their information, "When I got back to my apartment, all of them were gone-"

"How long were you at the bar?" Nick impatiently asked.

"An hour maybe? It's literally five minutes from my house… I was gonna text Linda to ask where everyone went, but didn't. I was too drunk and just wanted to sleep…especially since I had to be up at 4 in the morning to catch the plane for my family's trip…" Nick nodded. "Um… You said you are from the Crime Lab, right?"

Nick and Catherine looked at each other then back at Jamie. They nodded their heads as Nick spoke, "Yes…" Confusion on their faces.

"Do you know Sara? Sara Sidle…" Shock replaced the confusion across all three of their faces.

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><p>And the plot thickens. As MyKate told me, "I wonder why she's asking about Sara... dundunduhhh!"<br>Oh how I'm loving this :)  
>Don't forget to review. All are always greatly appreciated!<p> 


	15. Ch 14: Part of Sara's Past

Hey everyone! Moving is a pain and too much of a hassle! I guess that's to be expected after living somewhere for almost 16 and trying to pack up not only your life, but 3 of your siblings and your parents' lives too, despite that it's just me and my mom at the new place. Still working on moving everything out of the old, but most of the important things are at the Condo. Internet finally got fully up and running last night, and I still had yet to finish this chapter, but it's done and not sure what the next one will be like. Hope you enjoy!

MyKate beta this for me, but as always all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I only own my made up characters, none of CSIs.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Fourteen: Part of Sara's Past**

"_Do you know Sara? Sara Sidle…"_

Nick, Brass, and Catherine sat in dead silence and shock was written all over their faces. None of them knew what to say. Jamie continued, "She um… She works the night shift there. She's a CSI as well…" She stared at the three in confusion. "So, do you or not?"

Brass recovered first, "Um, yes. We do. We work the graveyard shift with her… Why do you-"

Relief crossed over her face, and she smiled as she sat up straight, "Oh, really! Sweet! Um…can I by any chance talk to her? Um…" She paused for a moment and continued to stare at them; confusion crossed her face from their reactions. "Is there a problem? Because, you see, she told me to call her when I…whenever I…needed her…" She slouched back down into the chair. She repeated herself, "Is there a problem?"

Catherine finally spoke up, "How…how do you know Sara?"

Jamie scrunched up her face, "Um…" She pondered for a moment, "I was eight… No, nine… No wait –"

"Ms. Verner…"

"Sorry. I was eight or nine when my parents decided to do foster care… Sara… She was our first, and last child we took in." She looked at their stunned faces, "She was ten or eleven. Didn't stay with us very long. Maybe five months. She'd been through so much by that age. It was sad. No child should have gone through what she did… I couldn't believe her strength – I still can't. Only one thing scared her - men. My dad and Matt couldn't go near her. She'd freak every time." She sadly shook her head, "So she got placed somewhere else… We were close. Well sorta, but we lost contact after she got placed somewhere else. Then I ran into her at Harvard. She was a senior to my freshman, but a guy she was tutoring, roomed with my boyfriend at the time…" She shook her head again, "Is there a problem? Seriously, I'd-"

"Ms. Verner…" Nick paused and gulped, "She is unreachable right now…" Tears started to form in shocked eyes.

"Unreachable! How? She wasn't going on vacation." Jamie laughed, "She never goes on vacation!" The guys and Catherine smiled at that, "I tell her she works too much! She told me we'd get together when I got back from my trip… So…? I'm going to call-" She pulled out her cell phone, but Brass touched her arm, pushed it down slightly and shook his head, 'no'. She stared at him, and then scrunched up her face again, "I'm confused… Why can't I… What happened?"

"She was in an accident while on the way to a scene…" Brass gulped.

"No! She couldn't… Wait. Oh my God!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands. She mumbled, "I'm going to kill them!"

Not hearing her, Nick spoke up quietly, "I'm sorry, but-"

She quickly lifted her head, "I have to see her! Where is she? I have to tell Matt! Does he know? How…how bad is it? Is she-"

"Ms. Verner," Catherine started, "We can't give you any more information. I'm sorry."

"Why can't you? I'm her only family! Her father is dead. Her mother is locked away somewhere. And God only knows where her brother is…if he even is alive still! She has NO ONE ELSE!" She stood so abruptly that her chair toppled over.

"Ms. Verner-"

"No! Where is she!"

Brass laid his hand on her arm as he spoke quietly, "We're sorry, but Dr. Grissom is her emergency contact and power of attor-"

She picked up her chair, slid back down into her seat, and looked down at the table, "That's only because I just moved to Vegas a couple months ago. She hasn't had a chance to change it yet…" She shook her head, "She still avoids Matt when possible - I think he's just a reminder for her. So of course when she moved here, he wasn't put down…that only left Grissom." She looked back up at them with glistening eyes and wet cheeks, "You guys work with them… She doesn't get along with him any more. I'm sure you guys see it too?" She laughed a little, "Doesn't stop her from loving him though." She shook her head sadly, "Please. Can I at least go see her? Let her know I'm there for her. She needs that much."

"When we're done here." Brass looked at her gently, "How long have you know Mr. Helmington?"

She released her breath, "Um… He and Matt have been friends for, like, ever. Matt's like five years older, but when Jon moved into the neighborhood, they formed a bond… I don't know. Matt just took Jon under his wing. When Sara moved in, Matt just went over to Jon's or anywhere but the house. He just stopped bringing friends over to make it easier on her…" She looked at them with sad eyes, "She probably has had the hardest life of anyone I've ever known… from the moment she was _born_…" The last added in a sorrowful hush.

Catherine spoke up as she swallowed the lump in her throat, "So, you just moved to Vegas? How well do you know Linda, Bre, and Cassey?"

"Linda, I've known her since I was five. She's been my best friend since then. We lived next door to each other growing up. She moved to Vegas when we were nine. Jon always liked her. She's part of why he moved here when he turned eighteen. Matt followed him. Didn't want him to get into trouble. Linda has been friends with Bre and Cassey since she moved here. Bre and Cassey are cousins and all three of them lived in the same neighborhood. So I became somewhat close with them when I visited.

Bre, she got into drugs in college. I tried to avoid her, but didn't work well as she still always hung with Linda. I met my ex through her…" She sighed.

Nick tried to push his emotions back, and stood up, "That's all for now. Just don't leave town in case we need to speak to you again, okay?" He turned and left the room.

Jamie looked at Catherine and then Brass, "Don't worry. I won't be going anywhere, except to see Sara." Her voice was demanding.

"I'll bring you to her…" Brass stood up, extended his hand with his palm out, indicating for Jamie to go first.

Catherine left slowly behind them. She saw Nick sitting against the wall, "Come on. Lets go grab a bite to eat." He nodded his head as Catherine continued, "Did you know Sara was…" Her voice drifted as Nick shook his head 'no'.

He then whispered, "She never talks about her life before she met Griss… She only mentioned something about a brother, once. I had no clue." A tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

><p>Don't forget to review! I live off of those to help me improve and to see where to go with the story. Hopefully more ASAP, but probably won't happen till next week as tomorrow is finishing up moving literally all that is left at the old place. Then Friday is a bonfire with friends (Last one ever) and then Bigalow Hollow with like 10 friends the next day. Besides fully settling into the Condo, I'll be getting some writing done!<br>Again, don't forget to review!

Kay


	16. Ch 15: The Arrests

Hey everyone! Finally done with the move, minus getting settled in, but that means, more time for writing! Woot! I know this chapter is short, and I apologize. BUT I have the next two chapters written already, so that means I'll be posting tomorrow and the next day as well :). You see, I started writing the next chapter, in mind that it would be this chapter, only to realize, I missed some things and I had my time line off a little. So this is basically just a filler chapter... So again, I apologize, but with the other two chapters already done, and being told my my beta that they were of brilliance, and blew her mind away, I know I've made up for this chapter :)

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, just my made up characters.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Fifteen: The Arrests**

Brass and Jamie stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor on Boulder City Hospital. Brass headed down the hall with Jamie walking a few steps behind him. She was nervous and scared to see the one person she loved like a sister.

"Just a sec, Ms. Verner." Brass looked over the desk at the nurses' station, but saw no one there.

From behind them, "Oh, Detective Brass! So nice to see you!" Nurse Jordan smiled wide.

"Hello, Jordan. Just bringing a visitor for Sara, but wanted to get an update first."

Knowing he was more or less talking about Grissom than Sara, her smiled weakened, "Her vitals haven't changed since yesterday, and I finally convinced him to go get some fresh air. I doubt he'll be much longer though.

Brass nodded, "Thanks." He turned to Jamie, "You ready? Re-"

"Yes. I need to see her."

They walked to Sara's door, and Brass opened and held it for Jamie. As she moved inside, Brass stayed in the doorway.

"Oh, Sara!" Jamie hesitated at the threshold, her heart racing as she took tentative steps to the bedside. Looking down upon the face of her friend, she bit back a sob and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I can't believe this happened!" Tears raced down her cheeks as her eyes settled on Sara's swollen and bruised events preceding the accident flashed wildly through her mind, causing Jamie to rush out of the room with her hand over her mouth. Brushing past Jim as he called out to her, Jaime bolted into the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Brass looked to where Jamie fled then back at Sara, "Wake up soon, Cookie. We all miss you," then quietly closed her door and walked down the hall in Jaime's direction.

~~~~GSR~~~~

A week went by since Jamie's visit at the hospital. The team was wrapping up the case, and they cleared Linda and Cassey.

"_We had no clue she'd do that. She told us a month ago she cleaned up." Cassey spoke quickly._

"_Yeah. We left not long after Jamie went after Matt. Bre said she'd make sure Jon got home. Then she slipped into the bathroom with him. We figured they were going to screw each other. Didn't want to be around for that."_

"_So we left."_

Bre wound up confirming Linda and Cassey's leaving. When asked about the cocaine and ruffies in Jon's system, she cracked. Explained that she was trying to relax him enough so she could have sex with him, but it didn't work. He got pissed off and stormed out.

"_He was pulling out of the driveway before I could stop him. I got into my car and followed him. He started to speed up when he noticed me, and then…" She let out a sob. "He hit that SUV. I didn't mean for that to happen, I swear!" I turned onto a side street and got as far as I could away from the scene. I'm so sorry!" Full sobs erupted from her._

They arrested Bre for supplying Jon with the drugs, for being an accessory to the accident, and for fleeing the scene of the accident. They also arrested Jon for use of cocaine while driving, and then for the accident itself. They all then headed over to the hospital to share the details with Grissom.

Grissom was shocked when he heard Jamie and Matt Verner's names, but didn't let on that he knew them. When the team tried to get him to go out for a celebratory lunch, he declined saying how someone needs to be there just in case Sara woke up. They nodded in understanding, said their goodbyes, and left.

Grissom leaned down till his mouth was close to her ear, and whispered, "They got them. Please wake up. I miss you and need you. Please."

* * *

><p>Again, sorry for it being short and blahish. More tomorrow!<p>

Kay


	17. Ch 16: The Fight

Hey everyone. Here's the new chapter as promised! This is so far, my absolute favorite chapter I have written! So I can't wait to see everyone's reactions :)

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I only own my made up characters.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Sixteen: The Fight**

_November of '91_

_Skylar walked into the dorm room and glanced over at Bill and Jamie, "Hey guys."_

_Jamie tore her eyes away from the movie she and Bill were watching, "Hey Sky. Wanna watch 'The Breakfast Club' with us?" Her eyes flicked back to the TV._

_He sat down at his desk, "No, thanks. I have a tutor coming…" He looked over at them. "She's supposed to be a _genius_ – especially when it comes to calculus; so my professor says." A grin appeared on Jamie's face as she raised her eyebrow, "What?"_

"_Should we leave? Give you and your _tutor _some privacy?" she and Bill laughed. _

"_Huh? No! Seriously! She's helping me study for my calc final. I can't afford to loose my scholarship!"  
><em>

_Bill laughed harder, "Sure. Sure. Study." He winked at Jamie._

"_You guys shut up! She's a geek. I'm not going to screw some geek. She probably is a virg-" A knock interrupted him. He looked at Jamie and Bill. Jamie raised her eyebrow at him then turned her attention back to the movie. "It's open!" Skylar yelled._

"_It's so cute that she gives him her earring!" Jamie smiled at Bill._

"_Hi, Skylar." Sara entered the dorm room. Jamie whipped her head back towards the door._

"_Hey, Sa-"_

"_Oh, my God! Sara!" Jamie jumped off of Bill's bed and ran over to Sara, almost knocking her over as her books fell to the floor._

_Sara stared in shock, and shook her head, "Jay?" Then quickly hugged her._

"_Wait." Skylar looked at them confused, "You know one another?"_

"_Y-yeah. I-"_

"_We lived in the same neighborhood when we were kids, before she moved. Her dad was in the Army…" Jamie looked at Sara's blank face and smiled._

"_Oh, cool! My Pops is in the Navy." Bill spoke up._

_Sara looked at him and smiled slightly, "Cool. Um… Sky?"_

"_Yeah. Calc. I know." He sighed, "Mind if we stay here?"_

"_Sure." Sara glanced at Jamie to see her crouched down and writing something._

_Jamie stood up, collecting Sara's books off the floor, "Come on, Bill. Let's go get some food." She slipped a piece of paper into one of Sara's books and handed them to her. "It's good to see you again." Then slipped out of the room._

"Oh, Sara." She whispered on a sigh.

"Ja-Jamie?" Grissom's voice made her jump.

She shook her head to clear it of the confusion that surrounded her at the sound of his voice. Letting her eyes settle on Grissom's in the dim room, "Grissom. I…I didn't see you…"

"Sorry to have scared you…" He looked over at Sara's face, which was still slightly swollen where bruises were fading, and cuts healing. "Her doctors put a cot in here for me… I did… I didn't know you were in Vegas…"

She swallowed, "Just moved here a few months ago… to be closer to Matt…and Sara."

Grissom nodded his head, "How…" He closed his eyes briefly then opened them as he walked over to Sara. "How have you been, Jaime?" he asked distractedly as without thought he reached towards Sara and pulled her blankets a little bit higher, kissed her forehead, and then sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Good… Your…your team told me what happened last month." She stepped shyly further into the room, "They were asking me questions about-" She stopped as Grissom looked over at her. "I visited her once, the day I found out… It was…hard." She paused to collect her thoughts, "Apparently… Matt's friend, Jon, is the one…who…" She trailed off and swallowed back her tears.

He nodded his head as he sadly spoke, "You _know_ the person who…who _did _this?" indicating Sara's injuries as anger slowly seeped into his voice.

"I barely know him…" She looked away and walked to the window, "I left my friends with him to go after Matt… We had a fight that night… I'm so sorry." Tears slid down her cheeks as she turned back to him.

He sighed, "It's not your fault." He laid his head down next to Sara's hip and turned his face to stare at her.

Jamie nodded her head and turned back to the window, "When will she…wake?"

"They don't know. They say it's up to her…" He intertwined his fingers with Sara's.

"She's…strong. She will. She's a fighter."

"Her nurse said that by staying surrounded by loved ones, she should recover faster…but… it's been a month…"

"She will." She took a step closer to him, studying his tired features. His clothes wrinkled, hair untamed, and pain etched into his face, "Have you…"

When she didn't continue, he quietly asked, "Have I, what?" He turned his face away from Sara's and looked at Jamie.

"Um…" Confused by a look in his eyes that she could not remember seeing before, she changed her mind about asking him and returned to the window.

She quietly spoke, "Have you been here since-"

"Yeah. Ecklie gave me the time off without any problems… Since she has no 'family' and I'm her power of-"

"Gotcha."

Grissom turned his attention back to Sara.

Ten minutes passed since they had said a word, each caught up in their own thoughts.

So when Brass arrived a while later, he stepped into the room a little bit further to indicate his presence, but no one seemed to notice.

Grissom finally spoke up, "Did she tell you her mother is out of jail?"

Brass' eyes grew wide as Jamie jerked around with wide eyes of her own, "That can't be possible! Her mo-… She surely hasn't finished- … she… wait! Did Sara tell _you?_ 'cause I find that hard to believe considering-"

"Considering… What?"

"If you'd listen and not-"

Grissom snapped his neck and glared at her, "Go on. Call me an ass. I know you think it- always have…"

Jamie snorted and crossed her arms.

"Things have been getting bet-"

"_Better?_ Right! Forcing her to tell you about her childhood-"

"I didn't _force _Sara to tell me _anything_!" Anger burned in his voice as he continued, "She told me on her own accord. I just wanted to know why-"

"She was so 'angry'." She used air quotes, "I know. She told me that she shut down when you asked her that, but how you wouldn't _leave it alone._"

"Jamie," he sneered, and then took a deep breath to regain his composure.

"I am telling you, I didn't force her," Gil responded with a calm he didn't truly feel.

"Whatever." Jaime turned back to the window unwilling to let this matter rest, "Why are you here? You obviously-"

"If you say that I don't care, then you're highly mistaken! You can't know! You aren't there!"

"'Cause _you_ are? That would be the day! The famous Gilbert Grissom – being there for the only person who'd go through Hell and back for you. You don't-"

Her words were cut off by Grissom's mirthless chuckle. As he took Sara's hand gently in his, his words seemed directed more at the brunette asleep before him, "I care, Jamie! She's my world. My life…" His gaze washed over Sara as he whispered, "I _love_ her."

When Gil raised his eyes towards Jaime, he noticed Brass and froze.

"You don't know the first thing about _love-_" Jaime felt the need to continue her verbal assault when a soft sound caused all speech to cease.

"Gris?"

All three whipped their heads towards Sara. Confused, chocolate eyes bore into watery, deep blue ones.

* * *

><p>And the plot thickens. Brass is slowly learning more about Sara's past, as will the team. Grissom's confession of love. And of course, woot for Sara finally being awake! Don't forget to review!<p>

More tomorrow! Already working on the next chapter of the story, so you might even have two tomorrow or one tomorrow and one the next :)

Kay


	18. Ch 17: Awake and Insecure

Hey everyone! As promised, Chapter 17! Hope this pleases!

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I only own my characters.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Seventeen: Awake and Insecure**

"Sara?" Grissom stood quickly, squeezed her hand, and loomed slightly over her.

"Gris. Wh…Whe…"

"Sh. I'll get you some water. Hold on." He pressed the call button.

"Yes, Dr. Grissom?" Nurse Jordan said through the intercom.

"Sara's awake. She needs water, please," came his rushed voice.

"I'll be right there after I page Dr. Daniels."

A moment later, Nurse Jordan hurried into the room with a water pitcher, a cup, a straw, and an extra cup filled with ice chips. She placed the cup of ice chips on the nightstand then poured some water into the cup, opened the straw, and dropped it in.

"It's nice to see you finally awake, Ms. Sidle," she smiled before directing her attention to Grissom.

Handing him the water glass, she instructed, "Lift her head carefully then hold the straw to her mouth. "

The nurse looked down at Sara with a kind smile, "Slow, small sips." She then went about checking her patient's vitals.

As Sara was taking her first small sips of water, Dr. Daniels walked in, "Hello, Sara. So nice to see you awake."

The doctor observed Grissom as he placed the water down on the nightstand and slowly moved her head back down to the pillow.

"Her vitals have improved," Nurse Jordan handed Dr. Daniels Sara's clipboard, "Check on you later. Bye." She smiled and left.

Sara looked at Grissom, and then at Jamie, to the Doctor, and back to Grissom with confused eyes, "Where am I?" Her voice was hoarse, "Why does my body feel so heavy?" Her eyes pleaded with Grissom's.

He squeezed her hand, "In the hospital… You were in…an accident…last month…" He tried to smile at her reassuringly, but his glistened, sad eyes betrayed him.

"An acc…" She licked her dry lips, "An acci…" Grissom lifted a small ice chunk to her dry lips and slid it across them a couple times before slipping it between them. After it melted, she smiled softly, and then tried again, "I was in…an accident?"

"Y-yes. You were on your way to a…scene. A truck," He glanced at Jamie, "plowed into your Tahoe…" Sara's eyes grew wide, "You've been in a coma for the past month…" He slid down to the chair, and looked back at her. Tears slowly made their way out of the corners of his eyes. Sara squeezed his hand then looked at Dr. Daniels.

"Sara, first off, I need to ask you a few questions…" When she nodded in understanding, he continued, "Who is the current president?"

"George W. Bush."

"Very good. Your date of birth?"

"September 16, 1971."

"Excellent. Couple more. Where do you work?"

"Las Vegas Crime Lab. Have for the last five years."

"Alright, Sara. Last one." Indicating with his head, "Who is she."

"Ja…Jamie. Childhood/college friend…"

He looked at Jamie to confirm. Jamie just nodded her head 'yes'.

"Perfect. Good to see that you have no memory loss." Sara smiled weakly at him as he continued, "Now your accident caused a lot of damage to your body. It will take months for you to fully recover, but even still, some parts of you won't be the same."

She stared at him, trying to understand, "What…do you mean? Some parts of me won't be the same?"

"I'll explain all your injuries first." He looked around at the people in the room, "Would you like me to tell you in private?"

Sara looked around the room before her eyes settled on Grissom. When her grip tightened on his hand, he gave it a slight squeeze before he brought his mouth close to her ear. He spoke loud enough for only her to hear, "I'll be right here. I won't leave you, honey."

His eyes flickered to the others before he continued, "Do you want Brass and Jamie to leave?" She nodded her head slightly. As Grissom straightened up, her eyes caught his. "If you two won't mind, she'd like a little privacy, please."

Brass spoke up for the first time since he entered the room, "Y-yeah. I'll go call the team and let them know the good news. I don't know how well I'll be able to hold them off though…"

"It's fine, Jim. Just try to get a couple hours, if not more. Thanks."

As Brass left, Grissom and Dr. Daniels looked at Jamie, "I'll…be outside in the waiting room." She quietly left.

"Alright, Sara, would you like to hear the worse of your injuries first or the not so bad ones?"

~~~~GSR~~~~

"Can't we just go and see her?" Greg whined.

"Sorry Greg, but we're still on the clock for a few more hours and we all already took out lunch breaks." Catherine tried to hide the eagerness in her voice. She's much rather drive thirty minutes to go see Sara than finish the boring shift they've had.

"But this shift has been so slow and boring… No new cases. All the others are closed or a cold fish-"

"Greg, stop whining! We all know this and want to go see her just as much as you do!" came the Texan drawl as Nick walked into the break room. He grabbed a cup of coffee and then slid into the seat next to Catherine.

"I'm not whining!" He leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms.

"Besides, Brass said to give her a few hours, at least. She shooed everyone of out the room, but Grissom-"

"Which… I don't know-"

"Greg, stop." Catherine looked at him sternly before continuing, "She's going to need support, especially with the extent of her injuries. It's going to be extremely hard and painful."

Her eyes misted and for a moment there was silence before she turned towards Greg and continued speaking in a softer tone, "And despite their differences Greg, Grissom has always been Sara's main support system." She leaned back into her chair and took a sip of coffee.

"And who knows, maybe Griss will keep his eyes open and stay out of the microscope." Nick grinned.

~~~~GSR~~~~

A couple hours passed since Dr. Daniels explained to Sara the extent of her injuries and answered any questions she had. Nurse Jordan hooked up a morphine drip for Sara so, if the pain got too bad, she could give herself some relief versus waiting for a nurse to come in to do it every time.

Sara stared out the window, not really seeing the outside world, as she tried to fully wrap her mind around what happened. The door closing startled her, and she quickly turned her head to look over at the intruder. She saw Grissom walking over to the right side of her bed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I got you some more ice chips." He placed them down on the night stand then leaned over, and kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, he saw her eyes closed, and a tear leaking out of the corner of her eye. He sat down gently on the bed and ran his thumb over the stray tears, "Hey. It's alright."

In a small voice, "Is she gone?"

"Jamie?" At her slight nod, "Yes. I was finally able to convince her to leave. She told me she'd be back later and will kick me out." He chuckled softly, but stopped when Sara's hand grabbed his in a death grip, "Sh. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He squeezed her hand gently in reassurance.

* * *

><p>Don't forget to review! I always live for those!<br>Working on the next chapter still. Hopefully will have it finished by tonight, if not tomorrow. So either tomorrow or Saturday will be when it's posted.

Kay


	19. Ch 18: The Wants

Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! I hope it pleases! I'm still iffy on it, but that's because of Jamie... All well. lol

Tess - I will warn you. It's a cliff hanger chapter... And won't be resolved for couple chapters... Sorry!

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Just own my made up characters!

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Eighteen: The Wants**

Sara slowly opened her eyes, but the brightness of the room made her quickly close them. She reopened them and blinked a few times. She started to panic but, when her eyes finally settled on Grissom's back, she slowly started to relax again.

Feeling as though someone was watching him, Grissom slowly turned away from the window. A tiny smile crossed his face as he walked over to her. "How do you feel?" He pulled the chair closer to the bed as he sat down. His hand reached out for hers and intertwined their fingers.

"Sore." She whispered. Then even quieter, "I want to go home." There was so much sadness and fear in her voice that it made Grissom's heart ache.

"I know, Honey, but-"

"It's going to be a long while." She sighed.

He brought their hands up and kissed her fingertips. She smiled slightly.

"It's nice to see that smile again." She smiled bigger as he smiled brightly at her.

"How long was I asleep for?"

"A few hours. The team is in the waiting room. Waiting impatiently, of course."

She laughed lightly, but then in a serious tone, "Do they know?"

Unsure of what she exactly meant, he hesitantly asked, "About?"

"Us?"

~~~~GSR~~~~

"I can't believe she's sleeping!"

"Greg! I swear, if you whine one more time, I'll-"

"Greg. Nick. Stop already!" Catherine said with much annoyance in her voice, "Greg, she has the right to sleep, especially after what she's been though and with all of the morphine in her body." She slumped back in her chair, "And Nick. He's just antsy. Leave him alone." _I swear. They act like little kids. Lindsay is more mature than them. And she's thirteen!_

"Hello, Nurse -" the woman paused to look at the name tag, "Jordan. I was-"

Brass hurried over to the man and woman, "She's sleeping. Grissom-"

The woman turned and looked at him, "I told him I'd be back and was going to kick him out. She needs someone she trusts-"

"She has that-"

"No-"

"She won't let him leave. So she has-"

"Detective Brass-"

"Jay. Leave it alone. Grissom's a good man. She wants-"

"Matt!" Jamie hissed as she glared at him, "Stay out of this! I didn't even want you to come."

"No. I won't stay out of it. Just because she barely ever sees me or trusts me, you aren't going to kick out someone she needs," Jamie snorted, "there. And besides, I wanted to come and see how she's doing. It's what family does."

"Ms. Verner." Brass started, "I understand you wanting to be there for her and to protect her, but trust me, she's in good hands." He held up his hand to stop her, "_You_ may not think so, but _she_ does. Now please. Let's go sit and wait till she is awake." At that, Brass turned and walked over to the stunned team.

Matt guided her over to some empty chairs and whispered, "Why don't you like him? From the times I talked to him, and the way Sara looks at him, he's a good man. So why? I don't know understand, especially since he is the one who holds her heart."

"That's exactly why," she grumbled. "He holds her heart, which he just breaks over and over again…" She slumped down into a chair and crossed her arms, "She deserves so much more and better than him."

~~~~GSR~~~~

"Good morning, Ms. Sidle." A deep voice interrupted before Grissom could answer Sara's question. Sara didn't recognize the voice and looked up as the intruder continued, "I was so happy to hear you were finally awake!"

Sara continued to stare at the stranger. She tried to read the name tag, but couldn't get her eyes to focus enough on the name, as the woman went about checking her vitals. She closed her eyes briefly.

The woman continued to speak, "I'm Sam Beckett, but please, call me 'Nurse Sam' or 'Sam'. I'll be your nurse till about four p.m. Then Nurse Ann will come in till about ten thirty. Then Nurse Jordan at Eleven."

Sara nodded as she gripped Grissom's hand tightly.

"And good morning, Dr. Grissom."

Grissom smiled lightly, "Sam, please. I tell you every day, just call me Grissom."

"Yeah. Yeah." She smiled, "How about some breakfast, you two?" At Sara's quick nod, she grinned, "Good. Then we can get you cleaned up afterwards so you can visit a while with the anxious people who are dying to see you!"

Sara smiled slightly and looked at Grissom. He returned the smile then asked Sam, "Is there anything specific she has to eat, or can she…"

"We'll start off with something light and easy on the stomach." Sara's eyes showed disappointment, "Sorry Sara, but we need to make sure your stomach can handle foods without a problem. Between being in a coma and the morph-"

"It's fine. I understand." Sara spoke quietly, "I guess coffee is out." She sighed as she leaned back further into her pillows.

Grissom smiled, "How about some apple juice, toast, and a little bit of scrambled eggs?" When Sara smiled softly, Grissom turned his attention back to Sam, "I'll have the same, please, but with a little more eggs than hers. Thanks."

"I'll send the orders down and be back soon!" She gently patted Sara's leg and left.

Sara looked at Grissom. After a couple minutes of silence, she quietly spoke, "You could have gotten something dif-"

He squeezed her hand, "No. I'm not going to order what you can't have and eat it in front of you. That would be mean of me." She chuckled, "I also don't want to risk making you nauseous." His smile was tiny and shy.

"Thanks."

~~~~GSR~~~~

After sending the food orders down to the cafeteria, Nurse Sam made her way over to the waiting room. She saw it filled with people waiting as patiently as they could. Two people, a man and a woman, were close, but separated from the rest of the group. The man was a little stiff and had his eyes closed. The woman appeared to have an interest with something on the white wall ahead of her, but frustration and anger filled her whole demeanor. The rest of the group sat next to one another, saying things here and there, but overall they were quiet, albeit a bit fidgety as they waited.

"Hey, all." Everyone turned their attention to Sam, "You all are waiting to see Sara Sidle?"

"Yes." Brass spoke up as everyone else nodded their heads as they all scrambled to their feet.

"I know you all have been waiting to see her for awhile-"

"Over an hour!" Greg chimed in as Nurse Sam continued.

"now!"

"Ow!" Greg glared at Nick after being hit in the gut, "Sorry."

Sam smiled at Greg, "She just woke up, BUT we're going to try to get some food into her and see how she handles it."

"So…" Brass looked at her, "It's going to be awhile longer till anyone can see her?"

"Yes. We're also going to get her cleaned up some too. Then we'll start to allow visitors… Just a couple more hours." She smiled at their slightly disappointed faces and headed off to finish some paperwork.

Greg slumped back into his seat, "A couple more hours! Ugh."

"Relax, Greggo. How about we go get her some gifts?" Nick suggested.

"You mean more? I don't think she'll want more flowers and cards!" He laughed.

"How about we go browse the gift shop?" Warrick suggested.

The team all gathered to their feet and headed to the elevator. No one noticed Jamie's smile as she looked over at her brother whose eyes were closed again. She looked over at Nurse Sam to find her with her back turned, so Jamie moved silently out of the waiting room.

* * *

><p>Don't forget to review!<br>Next chapter is already written! Should be posted either later today or tomorrow!

Kay


	20. Ch 19: The Confessions

Hey everyone! So here is the next chapter, all though it's not what everyone will be expecting, but I'm sure it'll please many :) I was going to have it longer and go on with the cliffhanger from the last chapter, but as I was writing this chapter, I decided to keep it short, sweet, and a happy one...before the angst of what is to come. Hope this pleases.

Also, I'll like to thank everyone who has read my story and have been leaving reviews! I just passed 100 reviews, which when I first started writing and posting this story, I never expected to get many reviews. I really appreciate them all and they're what help keep me going with this story...especially as I have no clue where this story is going anymore as it's changed so much from when I first got the story in my head. Again, thank you all so much!

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I own no one, but who I made up.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Nineteen: The Confessions**

Sara felt his eyes watching her as she pushed the eggs around on her plate. When Nurse Sam first mentioned food, she gladly accepted, but now that it was in front of her, she wasn't so hungry after all. She lifted her eyes to meet his sky blue ones, and sighed. She dropped her fork to her plate and carefully leaned back into her pillows. Despite that her ribs were healed, some movement still caused slight pain. She sighed again.

"I know. I should eat at least something, but I'm not hungry after all."

Grissom continued to watch her, and then spoke softly, "I think it's more along the lines of you saw the food…knew it wasn't what you wanted, so you told yourself that you weren't hungry." His eyes sparkled.

Sara chuckled, "Okay. You're…right." She looked at the food with disgust on her face, and then looked back at Grissom, "Now, you know me all too well… When did that happen?" She chuckled again.

Grissom smiled, "I always have. Just because my head was up my ass for the longest time, doesn't mean I stopped paying attention."

Sara rolled her eyes, but a playful smile tugged at her lips, "You sound like a stalker." She grinned.

He shrugged his shoulders, "No. Not a stalker, just somebody in love with you."

Both froze at his statement. Since the mental hospital case, and the Adam Trent incident, Grissom finally admitted his feelings to her and how stupid he had been. He asked for forgiveness and for another chance. She accepted, as long as they went slow and rebuilt what they had lost over the last few years. Neither had said the "L" word, for fear of ruining what they were trying to fix – not to mention how they'd only had two official dates since getting together and haven't even kissed yet.

But now Sara sat, stunned at his confession and scared that he might take it back and pull away again. Grissom on the other hand felt relieved and hopeful that he finally told her how he truly felt, but was nervous that he went too far, and that she'll start to pull away from him.

Silence filled the room for a few minutes as they stared at one another. Grissom finally spoke up.

"Sara-" He started.

"Please, don't." She whispered.

"Don't, what?" He was confused. He stood up, placed his tray of food down onto his chair, slid her pull table away some before gently sitting on the bed, facing her.

She grabbed his hand, but couldn't bring herself to look at him, "Don't apologized or take it ba-"

He grinned, "I wasn't going to." With his free hand, he gently grabbed her chin and moved her head till dark chocolate eyes met his ocean blue ones. Slowly, with emphasis on each word so she'd fully understand, his soft voice spoke volumes, "Sara. _I. Love. You._ Always have. Always will."

His eyes bore into hers, and she could see the love and fear in them. He was opening up to her, baring not only his normally closed-off heart, but also his soul- the very soul that was brimming with more love and displaying more insecurity than any person she had ever known.

With tears in her eyes, she grasped onto his shirt and slowly tugged him to her. He lifted his hands to cup the sides of her face, rubbing his thumbs lazily over her cheeks. As she felt his warm breath slide across her lips, she sucked in a deep breath.

With a shaky breath, she whispered, "I love _you, _too. So. Much." Then lightly pressed her lips to his.

* * *

><p>Don't forget to review! Hopefully more soon, but I don't know when as I haven't started the next chapter yet...I'm still debating of exactly how I wanna do it. So my apologies.<p>

Kay


	21. Ch 20: Finding Out

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay. Hurricane Irene made her impact here on CT. There's power outages everywhere and a lot of people who don't have power and water, including some of my family and almost all of my friends. So hopefully everyone is safe and sound, and that there isn't too much damage to where you live, if you were in the path of Irene.

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of CSI, just my characters.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Twenty: Finding Out**

After Brass got called away to a scene and told the team to give Sara his love if they see her before he got back, the team browsed around the gift shop looking for anything they thought Sara would like. Nick was looking through the notebooks and books when he came across a gorgeous, thick journal that was light blue with different butterflies spread across it. The closing snap was also shaped like a butterfly. He opened the cover to see a matching pen neatly tucked in the bind of the hard covers, a clear plastic pocket before the pages, and different colored, small post-it books in the pocket. Nick grinned.

_This is perfect for her to do her writing._

Nick closed the journal then grabbed some extra pens, and headed to the check out counter.

Warrick and Catherine walked quietly next to one another. Neither were sure of what to get Sara, as they weren't as close to her as Nick and Greg were. They the came across puzzled books, and one caught Catherine's eye. She picked up the very thick, easy through very hard, puzzle mixture book.

"Oh, I know she'll love this! She's always working on those different Sudoku and crossword puzzles on break and before shift. This even has those brain puzzles, and teasers as well!"

"Nice, Cath. She'll definitely love that. Now…what is there for me to get her?" He laughed.

He came across a variety of books. He knew Sara read a lot, so he searched through them to see if any would be of interest for his friend. When he came across two, just released in the past few weeks, a huge grin graced his face. _Perfect!_

He grabbed the two novels, and him and Catherine made their way to the check out line. When they got there, Nick was just finishing paying for his purchase. Catherine glanced around, before her eyes settled on Nick.

"Where's Greg?"

Nick was about to say 'he didn't know' when he started to burst out laughing. He pointed. Catherine and Warrick slowly turned around to see Greg heading their way with his arms full. They couldn't help the laughter that erupted from them.

~~~~GSR~~~~

The kiss was short and sweet, but was everything and then some that Sara ever imagined it to be. As they slowly pulled apart, Sara's gap tooth smile spread across her entire face as a blush crept over her cheeks. Grissom too, had a huge smile on his face. He rested his forehead against hers as he kept his hands cupping the sides of her face. Sara was the first to speak.

"Wow. Um. Wow."

Grissom's smile grew, "I've been wanting to do that since I first saw you in my lecture hall," he whispered.

Sara finally opened her eyes and stared into his deep ocean blues, "Me too."

Not wanting to break contact, but the pain in her side forcing her to, she carefully settled herself back into her pillows. Grissom's hands slid off her cheeks. He laid one down on her thigh as his other glided down her arm and to her hand. He grasped it then brought it up to his lips. He gently pressed a kiss to her open palm and then laced their fingers together.

Sara's stomach rumbled. Her face turned a deeper shade of red while Grissom chuckled at her. She playfully slapped his arm.

"I guess my stomach wants me to eat."

"And I agree. You should eat." He pulled her food table back over to her. Then he stood up, picked up his tray, and sat back down in the chair.

"I'll make a deal with you." Her eyes twinkled as she looked at him and picked up her toast.

He raised his eyebrow, "A…deal?"

"Mhmm." She looked at her now cold toast. "I'll eat what I can of my toast and you…"

He looked at her suspiciously, a grin tugging his lips as she continued, "and you tell me the answer to my question before Nurse Sam interrupted." She smiled sweetly at him.

_Oh how I love her smiles._ His grin grew, "Your…question?" She mock glared at him causing him to burst out laughing. She playfully slapped him again, "Okay. I'll answer, but…you have to try to eat two bites of your eggs too."

Thinking she was going to argue, he stared in amazement as she dropped her piece of toast back onto her plate, picked up her fork, and took a quick bite of the eggs. As she slowly chewed, she giggled at Grissom's semi-shocked face. As she took a second bit of the eggs, he smiled at her.

She smiled sweetly at him, "You didn't think I would, did you?"

"No." He shook his head, "Not without argument anyway." He chuckled.

"You definitely know me too well! But I really wanna know if the team knows about us…"

Dark chocolate eyes bore into deep blue ones. Turning serious, he spoke quietly, "No. They don't know about us…"

She took a small bite of her toast. She carefully looked at him, "Why do I _feel_ there's a 'but' coming?"

He looked down at his almost finished food, "Well…" He carefully set his tray down onto the nightstand.

"Gris?" She urged.

He swallowed, "Um… While you were in…in the…" He shook his head, stood up and tried to walk away, but her hand tightened its hold on his urging him to look at her.

Inhaling deeply, Gil turned towards her and spoke in a pained tone, "Jamie and I got into a…fight…"

Sara's eyes widened and her grasp loosened as he pulled his hand away and walked over to the window.

"A _fight_?" she asked and made no effort to conceal her concern.

He stared out the window and tried to swallow the lump in his throat, "Yes. She…doesn't believe I should…be here. She claims I don't care." He tried to swallow again and slowly turned back to look at her, "Told her that…she didn't know anything. That you're my life, and I love you…"

He rushed over to her when he saw the tears slip down her cheeks.

"Is…is that a…bad thing?" She chocked out.

"No. _No!_" He cupped her cheeks and lightly kissed her, "God, no, Sara. It isn't a bad thing."

"So? What's wr-"

"Brass overheard it…and…oh, honey, I'm sorry…"

"You're _sorry…" she _pushed on even as a feeling of dread washed over her.

"Honey, Jim also over-"

"-heard Grissom say that your _mother_ is Out. Of. Jail."

Sara and Grissom's heads jolted up at the irritated voice of the intruder.

* * *

><p>Oh, can't wait to see Sara's reaction to the news of others knowing about her mother...but remember, she so far only knows that little information...Catherine and Nick also know how Sara was in foster care and what not...so this will be getting interesting! Hm, I wonder if Sara even knew if her mother was out of jail or not...so we shall see.<p>

Not sure when the next update will be. I'm so close to finishing my other story, and it's all that really has been on my mind since Saturday, so I'm just really itching to finish it. So keep you're eye out for that story being posted in the next couple weeks, and I promise, I will get the next chapter of this story done as soon as possible!

Don't forget to review. The more reviews, the more likely I'll get the next chapter done quicker ;)  
>Take care,<p>

Kay


	22. Ch 21: The Hurt

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, just had horrible writer's block. Every time I sat down to write this, I just couldn't get anything down on paper. But it's done now, it's short, but it's done :)

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I only own my made up ones.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Hurt**

"_Brass overheard it…and…oh, honey, I'm sorry…"_

"_You're sorry…" she pushed on even as a feeling of dread washed over her._

"_Honey, Jim also over-"_

"_-heard Grissom say that your _mother_ is Out. Of. Jail."_

Grissom felt Sara's body stiffen immediately. He tried to hold her gaze, but her eyes darkened as she stared at Jamie in horror. He turned his head and glared at Jamie, his hands never leaving Sara's cheeks.

"You…shouldn't be in here, Jamie!" His voice was cold and hard.

Jamie smirked at him then looked at Sara.

"No…_you_ shouldn't be, Gris-som." There was venom in her voice as she spoke his name slowly.

"Get. Out. Jamie." Grissom's voice was low, but loud and clear.

He turned back to Sara, lightly stroking her cheeks, "Honey…?" He whispered.

When he received no reply, he spoke a little louder, but softly, "Sara? Honey…listen to me." Her eyes slowly drifted to his, but were still distant. She started to tremble hard so he engulfed her in a tight embrace. "Honey-"

"No." Her voice was detached. She tried to push him away, but he held on tighter, "No! No! _No!_" Her voice getting louder with every 'no'.

"Get. OUT!" She screamed as she shook her head back and forth – hard.

"Sara-" Jamie and Grissom both tried.

"NO! Get. Out. Now!" She gritted, "_Both_ of you!"

Tears streamed down her face as she pushed Grissom back as hard as she could with her one arm.

Grissom tried to keep her in his grasp as he spoke carefully, "Sara…Please. Don-"

"NOW!" She screamed.

His eyes were full of shock as he slowly released her and slid off the bed.

"Alright." He looked at the night stand. He carefully pulled the drawer open and fingered the envelope which has laid in there for the last month.

"I'll be back…in a little bit…when you've calmed. I… Here," He lifted the envelope out of the drawer, closed the drawer gently, and laid the envelope on her lap. Then he turned and walked away.

As he was passing Jamie, he grabbed her by the arm, and roughly pulled her out of the room. The door closed hard and loud, making Sara jump slightly.

Her cries became harder – racking through her body.

She quietly repeated over and over, "No. No. No." as she stared down at the envelope with the familiar scribble she hadn't seen in twenty-five years.

* * *

><p>Starting to lead up to some angst. More when I can. I start my new job tomorrow and I have my dress fitting for my sister's wedding today. So if all goes well, I'll hopefully be able to get the next chapter done and post either later today or tomorrow night. Most just depends on time, as I know the gist of it already, but I can't promise anything.<p>

And who's excited for the CSI premiere in two weeks? I know I am!

Kay


	23. Ch 22: The Blow

Hey everyone! Got this chapter done rather quickly, and I am quite pleased with myself! But as I said in the last chapter, I had already this chapter pretty much done and played out in my head, so getting it down on paper was the easy part! I hope this pleases!

csijenniferlynn: Part of the answer to your question...way back in chapter 17, I believe. "Why is Sara so afraid of Jamie?"

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I own no one, but those I made up.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Blow**

The team placed their bags from the gift shop down on their seats. They saw Matt with his arms crossed over his chest as he appeared to be sleeping. The chair next to him, where Jamie had been sitting when they left, now sat empty. They scrambled over to him.

Warrick shook Matt's shoulder, "Where's Jamie?" he yelled.

Matt jumped with a start, "Huh?" Sleep filled his reply.

He looked around the family waiting room as Nick repeated the question.

"I…I don't know." He ran a tired hand down his face, "I…Shit! Sara!" He turned.

He was about to dart off towards Sara's room when he saw Jamie being pulled into the room by Grissom. Everyone watched curiously and stunned.

Grissom pushed Jamie roughly into the room, and the door to the ICU's private rooms closed with a loud bang.

Grissom's voice was cold and hard, "What the hell did you think you were doing, Jay? You stup-"

"Oh, nice, Grissom. Do you think I'm the one at fault here? I was protecting-"

"Not Sara! You selfish, cold hearted bitch!"

Jamie snickered.

Matt spoke up, "What the hell is going on?"

Grissom glared at Matt, "Your sister here decided it was a good idea to sneak her way into Sara's room. She-"

"I have more right to be with her than you, Grissom!"

Grissom shook his head, "Right! Because you are _such_ a good friend! Last I knew," he held her gaze to make sure she was listening, "Sara has refused to talk to you, since a _month_ before her accident!"

Jamie stiffened, "You don't kn-"

Grissom laughed, "You barged into her apartment two months ago, demanded of her that she make you her power of attorney and next of kin, and then declared to the world that she was…how did you phrase it?... something along the lines of 'a stupid, slutty bitch' because she refused!"

Grissom's outrage was poorly contained, his voice hard and low. "Did you really believe that after that little demonstration of your "sisterly affection" that she'd even want to _talk_ to you?"

There was no movement as everyone grappled with this disclosure, the only sound echoing in the hallway was the deep exhales from Jamie's angry form.

Breaking the silence, her voice was low and threatening.

"You are a liar! I did no such thing! I'm not-"

Matt forcibly grabbed hold of her shoulders, spinning her to turn towards his disbelieving gaze. "Jay, what did you do?"

"Nuh-thing!" she emphasized, "_He's_ trying to make me the bad guy in all of this!" She turned to address Grissom who seemed to be barely controlling his temper, "_You're_ the one she doesn-"

"I was _there_ that night, Jamie." She shook her head in disbelief. "I had helped carry in her hanging plants from the deck and I was washing up in the bathroom when you arrived!" Grissom's eyes were ice. He laughed at Jamie's shocked face, "Oh, oops, I forgot you didn't know that little detail. I was in her apartment that night. I heard everything. And as I recall, Sara told _you_ to stay out of her life! That she no longer wanted you in it!"

"Wh…no…huh?" Jamie stuttered.

"I was bringing her to work that night…Don't you remember, her car had broken down the day before. Matt was going to look at it for her-"

"Jay! What the hell! No wonder she wouldn't return my calls! I-I… Damn it!"

"I…" Jamie shook her head trying to find a way to explain away the damaging evidence.

Grissom's voice was low, but clear, "Now, what did you think you'd accomplish by going into her room, cutting me off, and telling her about her mother? Did you think you'd make her think I was hiding it from her? That she'd get pissed off at me? Hate me even? Go 'crawling' back to you?"

Jamie chuckled, "She kicked _you_ out, didn't she?"

"As she did you!" He retorted.

"You were keeping it from her!" Jamie sniped back, "You've known _all_ month. She's been awake for a few hours, and yet, you hadn't…"

"I was in the process of telling her when you so rudely blurted it out to her!"

"You were stalling!"

"I was _trying_ to break it to her easily." He tried to calm down, but his anger was only rising.

"There's no easy way to tell someone, 'you're mother is out of prison.'"

Catherine's hand flew to her mouth to cover her gasp as the guys spoke in unison, "What?"

Grissom gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

"Damn it!" he cursed as his fingers raked in troubled motions through his hair.

Matt screamed at the same time, "Jamie! You stupid-"

"Shut it, Matt!"

"No! Stop and listen to yourself! You never think before you speak! You are a selfish-"

"Just what did you think you were accomplishing, anyway?" Grissom asked again in a deathly quiet voice. Ignoring Matt's comments, he continued "Besides making Sara's life Hell?"

"I-I."

"Go home. The damage is done. Now just leave her alone." And with that, Grissom turned his back to Jamie and Matt as he focused his stare on the rest of his team.

Grissom sighed as he slowly walked over to a chair and collapsed into it. He ran his hands over his tired face, and closed his eyes. He could feel a migraine starting. _This should not be happening. Oh Sara, I'm so sorry._

When he didn't hear Jamie make a move, he repeated himself, "Leave." Tension filled his drained voice.

"Fine." She turned towards the door, and paused, "Come on Matthew!"

When Matt made no move to follow, she glanced over her should at him, "Matt."

"No. I'm going to go check on Sara. And try to find a way to fix the damage _you_ did." He sadly looked at her, "I don't want to see you, Jamie, let alone be anywhere near you. I'll take a cab home later!"

"But Sara won't want-" Jamie tried, but her protests were cut off by Matt's mirthless laugh.

"-to see me? No. Probably not, but I'm going to try. And besides…seems as if Sara made it clear it was you she doesn't want to see."

With that, he turned, and walked through the doors leading to the ICU rooms.

Jamie stared at the closing door in apprehension. Then she quickly turned on her heels and stormed out towards the elevators.

~~~~GSR~~~~

Matt tentatively knocked on the door to Sara's room and then slowly opened it. He wasn't sure how Sara was going to react to his presence, but he knew she shouldn't be alone…not after hearing about her mother.

He softly knocked again, but she still seemed to not hear him. He carefully entered the room fully and closed the door quietly.

He looked over and studied Sara's profile.

His heart broke at the sight.

There she sat – stiff, wet cheeks and puffy, red eyes that no longer could make out the envelope that lay on her lap. Her right hand rested next to it, but wasn't touching it, as though if she did, it would scorch her.

"Sarabear?" Matt quietly asked.

Voice detached and quiet, "You know, twenty-five years later, and she still haunts me. She's always around. She's in my thoughts…my dreams. The domestic cases at work…the abuse cases… She has my past… and wants my…future. Everywhere. She's everywhere, and there's no escaping." There was a slight hitch in the deep sigh that came from Sara's broken form.

"This," she pointed at the envelope, "is just some sick joke to her…she refuses to… I wish- …she just can't leave it alone." The final statement ended on a whisper.

"I-I'm sorry."

Sara looked up and locked eyes with him.

"Jamie…" Sara shook her head, "she means well…I know she does, but she's like Laura…" she paused to take a deep breath.

Matt tensed at Sara's words.

"She just…just can't leave anything alone either…" Her eyes darkened and clouded over, "Never could."

Matt sat down on the hospital bed and waited for Sara's eyes to lock onto his.

"And…what about Grissom?"

* * *

><p>Burn to Jamie? I think yes! Don't forget to review, I always look forward to those!<p>

I start my new job tomorrow, so I don't know when the next chapter will be done. MyKate suggested what I could do in the next chapter, and I am quite loving the idea, so I sorta have what will be done, but I don't know what/how it'll all play out. More when I can, but again, please don't hold me to when, as I don't know. Will know more once I get my schedule and can work around it! I promise :)

Kay


	24. Ch 23: The Unforgettable Pain

Hey everyone. I know it's been a few weeks, sorry about that. Trying to get into a schedule with work, gym, cleaning, and writing is proving to be a little hard. Especially since my work schedule changes every week. Good news is that more tomorrow as I have the next chapter done.

Who watched the season premiere on Wednesday? I wound up watching it Thursday since I worked overtime on Wednesday, but I did quite enjoy the premiere. I like Ted Danson's character. This will be a good season :)

MyKate beta this for me, but as always all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I only own Matt and Jamie.

* * *

><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Unforgettable Pain**

Catherin sat down next to Grissom while the guys stood near by. She studied his profile and saw the stress etched into his weary face.

"Gil?" She spoke above a whisper.

"Not now, Catherine," he snipped.

He drew in a deep breath, and then another. He tried to relax his racing pulse. After a few minutes of silence, he looked up at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." He drew in another deep breath. "This has just been a long day."

"I know. It's fine. Really. Jam-"

"is full of shit." He spoke quickly, "And she needs to learn to think before she speaks…especially when talking ab-"

He abruptly stopped as his eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Shit!" He mumbled and dropped his head to his hands.

"Gil…I…I don't want to pry, but…" She sighed as she looked at the guys for reassurance.

She carefully continued, "but… Sara's mother…"

"Don't!" Grissom urged.

But Catherine ignored him, needing to know, "was in prison? Why?"

"Cath…Please. Don't." He continued.

Catherine kept ignoring him, "Do you know what happened to her father?"

When he didn't answer, she went on, "Jamie mentioned how her family…took Sara in. Wh-when she was young…" she trailed off when Grissom snapped his head up. His eyes were dark with horror.

Grissom had scrambled to his feet, disbelief coursing through his veins.

_Jamie knows how hard Sara has worked to keep others from finding out about the horrors of her past…and to betray her confidence in this manner…_

"She…_What?_"

His quiet tone belied the anger beneath his reaction to her disclosure.

Catherine was taken aback by the intensity of Gil's reaction.

Uneasily, she forced herself to continue.

"Jamie…uh…well…she told Nick, Jim, and I…"

She inhaled deeply while Grissom scowled without blinking, "…during her interrogation…how she was only about eight or nine years old when her parents fost-"

"Stop!" Gil's pain was evidenced by the vehemence of that single word.

Catherine was caught in his gaze as he continued to glare at her.

"Stop! Just…_Please_!" He turned away and let out another deep breath.

"Son of a _bitch_!" he muttered as he kicked his chair which sailed halfway across the room, startling Catherine and the guys.

They weren't sure how to gauge his reaction.

"Gris-" Nick tried.

Grissom raised himself to his full height and brought his hand up, causing Nick to pause.

"No more!"

And with that, Grissom stormed out.

~~~~GSR~~~~

"And…what about Grissom?" Matt carefully asked.

Sara sighed, and shrugged her right shoulder.

After a couple of minutes, she whispered, "What about him?"

"Does he never leave certain…_things_ alone?"

Sara shrugged slightly as she continued to whisper, "Yes…No…" She sighed again, "He knows me…better than anyone… he…he knows when he should push and when not to." She glanced over at Matt then back down to her casted arm.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sara continued on.

"He…didn't force me to tell him…about my childhood…about Laura. Jamie…thinks he did…" She sighed, and continued on quieter, "Since I had never told anyone before…"

"Jamie just thinks she knows best…always has. Even when we were real little. She sees….that you coming back into our lives fourteen years ago was a…sign. That you were meant to be in our family. That's all. She…means well."

Sara took a deep breath, "I get that, but at the same time…she wants to control my life."

Sara laughed then, "I'm older than her and she wants to control my life. How funny is that?" Sara glanced briefly back at him.

"She thinks she knows better than _I do about_ what's best for me. That Gil…isn't…that he…" She struggled to find the right words.

Matt placed his hand on hers, "But he _is_ perfect for you…isn't he?"

Sara looked back up at him and truly smiled, "Yes."

Her voice spoke volumes, "He _is_ perfect. He doesn't judge me. He accepts me. Despite everything I've gone through. Despite the horrors. Despite the facts. He accepts me. He loves me. _All_ of me." A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Good. You deserve happiness." He swiped the tear away.

"Sometimes… I wish I never brought Jay with me to that seminar. Maybe…things would be different." She looked back down as her eyes darkened with unshed tears, "Like…maybe she'd still be that person I knew and enjoyed having around…maybe she'd like Gil and see how _happy_ he makes me."

"Maybe, but you can't live your life on maybes and what ifs."

She looked away as the bottled tears released, "I know."

"You know…for the few times I met Grissom…and after seeing him today…his passion and love for you was just-"

Her head snapped up and her dark eyes locked with his deep emeralds, "What do you mean, seeing…?"

He swallowed, "Jay…Well, Jamie…kinda…" Matt struggled, not sure if or how to tell Sara.

"Matt, what did she do now?" Sara begged.

"Um…kinda blurted out…to everyone…about…Laura be-"

"_Goddamnit!_" Sara screamed as more tears fell, "Why? Why can't she…"

She dropped her head into her good hand as her body shook.

At that moment, the door opened.

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><p>Hope all enjoyed. Don't forget to leave a review, I always look forward to those :)<br>Again, more tomorrow!

Kay


	25. Ch 24:The Unforgivable & Security

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay. Life is just getting more and more hectic it seems. This is a short one, but it is leading up for the more angst to come. So I hope this pleases. I started the next chapter, but due to adding to the end of this one, I have to tweak what I have written already. So I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted. So I'm sorry for that. More when I can.

MyKate beta this for me, but as always, all mistakes are mine.

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><p>Whispers in the Dark<p>

**Chapter Twenty-four: The Unforgivable & Security**

"Sara?" The intruder took quick steps over to Sara's side.

Sara and Matt both looked up in shock. Sara shook her head quickly.

"Get out! Now!"

"Sar-" Reaching out a tentative hand.

"No!" Sara pulled back, wincing in pain, "Don't. Do _NOT_ touch me! Leave, now!" Anger and hurt bore through her eyes.

"But…"

Matt finally spoke up, "You heard her. Leave."

"Matt-"

"Now, Jay!"

The door opened again, and Grissom stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. He glanced around, and when he saw Sara, shaking, and crying, he was at her side in an instance, pulling her into his tight, comforting embrace.

With his voice low and hard, "Jamie, you were supposed to leave this building! How'd you-"

"The back way, jackass." Jamie snarled at Grissom.

Sara leaned deeper into Grissom's embrace.

Her voice filled with venom, "Leave now, Jamie. I told you once, I'm going to tell you again. I want you gone. Out of my life. For good. You think you're helping, but you're not. You make everything worse-"

"Sar, I'm-" Sorrow filled her voice.

"No. Leave. Now." Sara's voice was quiet and detached.

Jamie made no move to leave; she was shocked and angry.

Sara slowly pulled out of Grissom's embrace, her finger hovering over the nurses' call button.

"Sar-"

"Leave."

When Jamie still made no move to leave, Sara pressed the call button.

Jordan's voice filled the silent, intense room, "Yes, Sara?"

Sara's voice was hard as she moved back into Grissom's embrace, her eyes locking on Jamie's.

"Please have security come. I have an unwanted guest."

"Right away."

"Sar. Why-"

"I told you to leave. You're not going to do it willingly, then security will help you."

Two security officers rushed in. The taller, older one spoke first, "Who needs to be escorted out?"

Sara pointed at Jamie, "Her," she said almost defiantly, before burying her face again into Grissom's chest.

"Come on, ma'am." The younger officer spoke, resting his hand on her shoulder, and pushed her towards the door.

Once the door clicked closed softly, Sara's sobs filled the room.

Sara tried to bury herself deeper into Grissom's embrace as she repeated over and over, "I'm so sorry."

Grissom looked up at Matt with tearful eyes then glanced over to the door before locking his eyes with Matt again.

Matt silently nodded his head and stood up. He gently patted Sara's leg.

He whispered, "I'll come back later. Don't worry about Jay. Alright?"

Then he quietly left with her painful words of apology filling his ears.


End file.
